The Institute of Physics (IOP), which awards the silver medal, honored Kim "for foundational advances that redefined nonclassicality as a physical resource."
His work showed that entanglement and other distinctly quantum traits of light and matter can be harnessed for computing, communication and sensing, carrying quantum optics into mechanical, plasmonic and gravitational regimes.
The medal, named after J.J. Thomson, the British physicist who discovered the electron and won the 1906 Nobel Prize in Physics, recognizes distinguished work in atomic or molecular physics.
Kim is its first Korean winner since its 2008 launch.
Kim, a Sogang University graduate, earned his doctorate at Imperial in 1988 and taught at Sogang and Queen's University Belfast before returning to London.
He received South Korea's Ho-Am Prize in Science in 2016.
"It has been a great pleasure to work with brilliant students and wonderful colleagues who shaped my understanding of quantum mechanics," Kim said in a statement released by Imperial.
"This award is a recognition of the work that was possible with them."
AJP Takeaways
- Imperial College London physicist Kim Myungshik received the Institute of Physics' 2026 Joseph Thomson Medal and Prize, announced Oct. 12, 2026.
- The IOP silver medal, named after electron discoverer J.J. Thomson, honors distinguished work in atomic or molecular physics. No Korean had won it since it was first awarded in 2008.
- Kim was recognized for showing that the quantum properties of light and matter can be harnessed for computing, communication and sensing.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.
