Park Hyung Wook

Associate Professor Park Hyung Wook is a faculty member in the School of Humanities at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. He joined NTU in December 2012 after previous academic appointments at the University of Durham in England and the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology in Korea. His academic background spans biology and history of science, with degrees from Yonsei University, Seoul National University, and the University of Minnesota.

• PhD (2009) University of Minnesota (History of Science and Medicine)
• MSc (2001) Seoul National University (History and Philosophy of Science)
• BSc (1996) Yonsei University (Biology, with High Honors)

Professor Park's research focuses on the history of biomedical sciences and medicine in the modern world, with particular interest in the history of aging, health, cross-disciplinary communication, and religious interactions in scientific exchanges. His work bridges historical scholarship with contemporary issues in science and medicine, examining how scientific knowledge is shaped by cultural and political contexts.

His recent publications reveal a strong interest in Korean scientific development, particularly examining creationism in Korea, the history of hepatitis B in Korean nation-building, and the experiences of foreign scientists working in South Korea. These works demonstrate his ability to situate Korean scientific history within broader global contexts while highlighting distinctive local features.

• Nathan Reingold Prize of the History of Science Society (2007)

At NTU, Professor Park teaches courses on the history of science and technology, history of the body, health and illness in history, and history of biomedicine. His interdisciplinary background enables him to connect biological sciences with historical and philosophical perspectives, providing students with a nuanced understanding of how scientific knowledge develops and circulates across different cultural contexts.