https://apru.org/international/yong-sik-ok/
Dr. Ok is a full professor at and global research director of Korea University in Seoul, Korea. His academic background covers waste management, the bioavailability of emerging contaminants, and bioenergy and value-added products (such as biochar). Professor Ok also has experience in fundamental soil science and the remediation of various contaminants in soils and sediments. Together with graduate students and colleagues, Professor Ok has published over 600 research papers, 60 of which have been ranked as Web of Science ESI top papers (56 nominated as "highly cited papers" [HCPs] and 4 nominated as "hot papers") since 2009. He has been a Web of Science Highly Cited Researcher (HCR) since 2018. In 2019, he became the first Korean to be selected as an HCR in the field of Environment and Ecology. He maintains a worldwide professional network through his service as an Editor (former Co-Editor in Chief) of the Journal of Hazardous Materials, Co-Editor for Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, Associate Editor for Environmental Pollution and Bioresource Technology, and as a member of the editorial boards of Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Chemical Engineering Journal, Chemosphere, and Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, along with several other top journals. Professor Ok has served in a number of positions worldwide including as honorary professor at the University of Queensland (Australia), visiting professor at Tsinghua University (China), adjunct professor at the University of Wuppertal (Germany), and guest professor at Ghent University (Belgium). He currently serves as Director of the Sustainable Waste Management Program for the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU). He has served as chairman of numerous major conferences such as Engineering Sustainable Development 2019, organized by the APRU and the Institute for Sustainability of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).