Prof. Yong Sik Ok: Global Leader in ESG and One of the World’s Most Influential Researchers (HCR)

Prof. Yong Sik Ok is a world-renowned scholar in the field of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In 2023, he was ranked as the No. 1 Environmental Scientist in Asia and South Korea by Research.com. He is the first scholar to have served as the Editor-in-Chief for the top two journals in Environmental Engineering (based on 2019 CiteScore) and currently leads the international journal Sustainable Environment, published by Taylor & Francis, as its inaugural Editor-in-Chief.

As a Highly Cited Researcher (HCR), Prof. Ok holds the record for the highest number of Highly Cited Papers (HCP) among South Korean scholars. In 2022, he achieved the extraordinary honor of being named an HCR in three distinct fields—Environment & Ecology, Engineering, and Biology & Biochemistry—a feat accomplished by only 0.8% of HCRs worldwide. This multi-disciplinary recognition is a historic first in the HCR awards’ history.

Prof. Ok leads global research on ESG environmental technology and policy development in collaboration with international organizations, global corporations, and top-tier universities, including Stanford University. He successfully brought the first Nature Conference to a South Korean university, serving as the Chair alongside Editors-in-Chief from Nature's top journals. Since 2021, he has spearheaded the Global Lecture Series on ESG Assessment featuring scholars from MIT, Stanford, TUM, ETH Zurich, and Cornell.

In the corporate sphere, Prof. Ok provides specialized ESG consulting and lectures at Korea University Business School’s MBA and Executive ESG Programs. He also serves as the Program Director for the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU), delivering ESG insights to over 2 million members across 61 leading universities.

[Key Professional Appointments]

• Highly Cited Researcher (HCR): Recognized in Environment & Ecology, Engineering, and Biology & Biochemistry.
• Co-President: International ESG Association (IESGA).
• Member: The Seoul Forum for International Affairs (SFIA).
• International Scientific Advisory Committee (ISAC): Jointly organized by MIT and Harvard University.
• Honorary Professor: Tsinghua University (China) / University of Queensland (Australia).
• Program Director: Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU).
• Editor-in-Chief: Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology (CREST) (Impact Factor: 13.37).
• Chairman: ESG Research Group, Korean Society for Engineering Education.