Kyung-Ja Ha

Kyung-Ja Ha is a climate physicist from South Korea. She has been a professor in the IBS Center for Climate Physics since 2017 and the Department of Atmospheric Science at Pusan National University since 1994, and has led the Global Monsoon Climate Lab(GMCL) since 2011. Her research interests include climate physics, monsoon dynamics, planetary boundary layer modeling, hydroclimate, and tropical-extratropical interaction. Prof. Ha's work has been cited about 7,800 times, with an h-index of 46 and an i10-index of 160. She served as president of the Korean Meteorological Society from 2022 to 2023, and has been involved in advisory roles at the Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology of South Korea(2022~2023). Currently, she is co-chair of the Expert Team on Climate Impact on Monsoon Weather in the WMO/WWRP Monsoon Panel since 2017, executive editor at Climate Dynamics Journals since 2021, and chair of the Local Advisory Committee of the 2024 Asia Oceania Geosciences Society. Also, She is chair of local organizing committee for BACO25. Through her research and leadership roles, she has contributed to the understanding of monsoon systems and climate dynamics.

Education She received a B.S. and an M.S. at Pusan National University and Seoul National University, respectively. She received a Ph.D. from Yonsei University in 1992.

Research Interests Her main research areas are monsoon climate, climate dynamics, and global hydroclimate change. She is the director of the Research Center for Climate Sciences at Pusan National University, which she led from 2014 to 2023. In addition to her research work, she has served in various leadership roles, including as Vice Chair of the National Committee of Future Earth in Korea, and as a board member and auditor for the APEC Climate Center.

Career She has been a professor at Pusan National University in South Korea since 1994. She has been honored with numerous awards, including the Excellent Scientist Korea Nobel Science Award in 2022 and the Unjae Academy Award from the Korean Meteorological Society in 2019. Her extensive publication record, with over 6,800 citations of her work according to Google Scholar, further attests to the impact of her research.

1984–1985: Research assistant at Yonsei University 1992–1993: Researcher, Institute for Basic Science, Yonsei University 1993: post-doctoral position at MRI/JMA, Japan (supervisor: Tatsushi Tokioka) 1994–present: Prof. of Atmospheric Sciences, Pusan Nat. Univ., Korea 1996: Visiting scholar CSRP at Texas A&M University (work with Prof. Gerald North), USA 1999–2000: Visiting assistant professor at College of Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences (COAS)/OSU (supervisor: Prof. Larry Mahrt), USA 2002–2003: Department Chair, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Pusan National University 2002.01-2004.07: Committee Member, Committee of Public Relation, Pusan National University 2002–2004: Director, Women's studies Center, Pusan National University, Korea 2002–2005: Courtesy prof. of COAS, Oregon State Univ. USA 2003.05~2007.04: Committee Member, Budget Planning Committee, Ministerial Advisory Council, Ministry of Science and Technology 2003.09–2009.06: Director of Busan Women in Scientist and Engineers (Busan WISE) Center 2004–2005: Chief of education committee of Korean Meteorological Society 2004–2007: Minister Advisory Committee of Ministry of Science & Technology 2004–2014: Board Member of Korean Meteorological Society 2004.12-2005.08: Center Director, Busan Center for Youth Science and Technology 2005.09–2008.10: Committee Member, Central Council for Gifted Education Promotion, Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development 2005–2011: Auditor, APEC Climate Center, Busan, Korea 2006–2009: President of a branch for Busan & Kyungnam region, The Association of Korean Women Scientists and Engineering 2008: Chair of subdivision on fundraising, Local Advisory Committee of 2008 Asia Oceania Geosciences Society 2009–2011: Auditor, The Network of Promising Women Engineers & Scientists 2010: Lead author, chapter 5, Korean Climate Change Assessment Report 2010–2011: Vise President, The Association of Korean Woman Scientists and Engineers(KWSE) 2010.08–2011.08: Advisor, Policy Advisory Committee, Korea Meteorological Administration 2010.12–2012.05: Advisor, The Korean Federation of Science and Technology (KOFST) 2010–2016: Member of the 8, 9, 10th Korea-China Basic Science Exchange Committee (NRF-NSFC) 2011.01–2014.08: Board member, APEC Climate Center, Busan, Korea 2011–2017: Principal Investigator, Global Research Laboratory on "Global monsoon climate change", Korea national research foundation 2012: Committee, East Asian Climate(EAC) 2012–2013: Vice-president, Korean Meteorological Society, Korea 2013.01–2015.12: Co-Director, WISET Southeast Regional Center, Pusan National University 2014–2023: Director, Research Center for Climate Sciences, PNU, Korea 2014–present: Lead author, chapter 10, Korean Climate Change Assessment Report 2015–2023: Vice President, Busan-Ulsan Branch, Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies (KOFST) 2016–2017: Vice-president, Korean Meteorological Society, Korea 2016.03–2019.02: Committee Member, Steering Committee for Science Education Standards Development for Future Generations, KOFAC 2016–present: Fellow, The Korean Academy of Science and Technology(KAST). Member of Steering committee on Science division of KAST 2016–present: Member, Korea committee of "Future Earth", ICSU 2017.01–2018.12: Committee member of Expert Committee on Energy and Environment, Korea National Science and Technology Council 2017–present: Professor, IBS Center for Climate and Physics 2017–present: Chair, Environmental Safe Division, Advisory Committee for National Life Science, KOFST 2017–present: WMO/WWRP Monsoon Panel, co-chair of Expert Team on Climate Impact on Monsoon Weather 2018–2021: Board member, The Busan National Science Museum 2020–2022: Advisory committee, Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology 2021–2023: Committee Member, Science and Technology Promotion Council, Busan (3rd and 4th Terms) 2022–2023: President of Korean Meteorological Society 2022–present: Advisory committee, Ministry of Environment 2022–present: Advisory Board Member, Supercomputing Center (Specialized Center), Ministry of Science and ICT 2022.4-2025.3 Outside Director, Nonghyup Financial Group Inc. 2023–present: Committee Member, Busan Regional Industry-Academia Cooperation Council 2023–present: Committee Member, Research Advisory Committee, Busan Development Institute(BDI) 2023–present: Committee Member, Science and Technology Distinguished Service Medal Review Committee, Ministry of Science and ICT 2023–present: chair, Local Organizing Committee of BACO25(IUGG 3 societies) 2025.1-present: Advisory committee, the Basic Research Promotion Council of the Ministry of Science and ICT 2025.1.1-2028.12.31: Member, the Global Precipitation EXperiment (GPEX) Lighthouse Activity Scientific Steering Group, World Climate Research Programme(WCRP)

Honors and awards

2001: Songcheon Award (Best Academic Award), The Korean Meteorological Society 2003: Honor Award, Korea Ministry of Science & Technology 2008: Best Research Award, Korea Ministry of Education, Science & Technology 2011: Global Research Laboratory fund, Korea National Research Fund, for years of 2011–2017 2011: Korea 100 top researcher award, National Science & Technology Council 2011: The premium professor award, Pusan National University, Busan, Korea 2012: National Medal(Jinbo), Order of Science and Technology Merit 2016: Editor contribution award, IAP/CAS, China 2019: Honor Award, Minister, Ministry of Science and ICT 2019: Unjae Academy Award, Korean Meteorological Society 2022: Excellent Scientist, Korea Nobel Science Award 2022: National Medal(Doyak), Order of Science and Technology Merit

Editorial Affiliations

2000–2003: Editor in chief, editorial board of "Atmosphere", bulletin of Korean Meteorological Society 2008: Editor in Atmospheric Science, Vol 16, Advances in Geosciences, World Scientific 2008–present: Editor, Atmospheric Oceanic Sciences Letter, IAP/China Academy of Science 2016–2017: Lead Guest editor, special issue on "Asian Monsoon climate change", Asia-Pacific Journal of Atmospheric Sciences 2017–2018: "Atmosphere" open access, Guest Editor on Special Issue on Monsoons 2017–present: Editor, the Earth and Environmental Sciences section of the board, Nature Scientific Report 2021–present: Executive editor, Climate Dynamics

Publications Publications - GMCL, Pusan National University

Books

Kyung-Ja Ha (2002). Atmospheric Thermodynamics. Sigma Press, Seoul. (in Korean) Young-Seop Kim; Kyung-Ik Kim; Kyung-Ja Ha; Hyang-Hee Um (2003). Essentials of Atmospheric Dynamics (Korean translation). Sigma Press, Seoul, 310 pp. (in Korean; translated work) Kyung-Ja Ha; Hyo-Sang Jung (2005). The Moving Laboratory. Lux Media (Lux Kids), Seoul. (in Korean) Jeong-Seon Kim; Kyung-Ja Ha; Yoon-Kyung Ha (2015). Vivid Science Issues 21. L Company, Seoul, 280 pp. (in Korean) Chih-Pei Chang; Kyung-Ja Ha; Richard H. Johnson; Daehyun Kim; Gabriel N. C. Lau; Bin Wang (eds.) (2019). The Multiscale Global Monsoon System. World Scientific, Singapore, 420 pp. Lin Wang; Haishan Chen; Jasti S. Chowdary; Kyung-Ja Ha; Yoshiyuki Kajikawa; Gill Martin (2021). The Asian Monsoon (eBook). Frontiers in Earth Science / Frontiers in Environmental Science, 230 pp. Kyung-Ja Ha; Kyung-Ik Kim (2024). Essentials of Atmospheric Science (3rd ed., 2nd printing). Pusan National University Press, Busan. (in Korean) Jiphyun Network (2024). The First Climate Science Class . Wisdom House, Seoul, 464 pp. (in Korean; contributing author) Kyung-Ja Ha; Ga-Young Yoo; Soo-Jong Jung; Tae-Won Park; Ja-Ho Koo (2024). Climate Change and Environmental Ecology . Cmass, Seoul, 200 pp. (in Korean) Kyung-Ja Ha; Gyu-Young Ko; Kyung-Cheol Gong; Young-Jin Kim; Gil-Seong Park; In-Gyu Park; Yong-Min Cho; Eun-Mi Chae (2025). Nine Experts on Ideas That Open Tomorrow . Gimmyoung Publishers, Seoul, 268 pp. (in Korean)