In memoriam: Kyungwha Park, professor of physics
Kyungwha Park, a professor of physics in the College of Science, passed away on Aug. 14. She was 55.
Born in Tongyeong, South Korea, Park excelled in physics from an early age. She graduated at the top of her class from Korea University in 1991, earned her master’s degree in 1993, and completed her Ph.D. at Princeton University in 2000. After postdoctoral work at Florida State University and the Naval Research Laboratory, she joined Virginia Tech in 2005, rising to the rank of professor in 2019.
An internationally respected theorist in condensed matter physics, Park published 98 peer-reviewed papers on the electronic, magnetic, and transport properties of spin-orbit-coupled nanostructures and molecular magnets. Her research was supported by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, and the Jeffress Foundation. She mentored numerous graduate students, including five who earned their Ph.D.s, and advised several postdoctoral fellows.
Park’s honors included being named the Korean-American Women in Science and Engineering Outstanding Woman Scientist in 2015 and receiving a Fulbright Fellowship in 2023 at the Wigner Research Center for Physics in Budapest, Hungary. She was also a dedicated teacher, well known for guiding graduate students through core courses in electricity and magnetism.
Despite being diagnosed with lung cancer in 2022, Park remained deeply engaged in research, teaching, and service until shortly before her passing.
Mark Pitt, chair of the Department of Physics, said that upon Park’s passing, he received recollections from colleagues and students locally and around the world who emphasized the influence she had upon their careers.
“Kyungwha was an extraordinary scholar and mentor who inspired everyone around her,” said Pitt. “Her perseverance, brilliance, and kindness left a lasting mark on our department and the field of physics.”
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