Hongkun Park (born 1967 in Seoul) is a professor of chemistry and of physics at Harvard University. He received his BS in chemistry at Seoul National University in 1990, and his PhD in physical chemistry at Stanford University in 1996 under Richard Zare. From 1996 to 1999 he was a postdoctoral fellow at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory under A. Paul Alivisatos and Paul McEuen.
His current research focuses on optoelectronics and plasmonics using nanostructures, nano-bio interfacing, and neuro-electronic devices.
Professional appointments1999–2002 Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Harvard University2003. 1 Associate Professor of Chemistry, Harvard University2003. 7 John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Natural Sciences, Harvard University2004. 1 Full Professor of Chemistry and of Physics, Harvard UniversityAffiliationsProfessor of Chemistry and of Physics, Harvard UniversityAssociate Member, Broad InstituteAffiliated Faculty, Harvard Center for Brain ScienceAffiliated Faculty, Harvard Stem Cell InstituteAffiliated Faculty: Harvard Quantum Optics CenterProfessional BoardAssociate Editor, Nano LettersAdvisory Editorial Board, Chemical ScienceAdvisory Editorial Board, Chemical Society ReviewsAdvisory Board, Harvard Quantum Optics CenterAcademic Training1986 – 1990 B.S. in Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul Korea1991 – 1996 Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry, Stanford University (Advisor: Richard N. Zare)1996 – 1999 Postdoctoral fellow, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (with A. Paul Alivisatos and Paul L. McEuen)Academic and Professional Awards
2011 Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science2008 National Institutes of Health Director's Pioneer Award2003 Camille and Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award2003 Ho-Am Prize in Science2003 Visiting Miller Research Professorship, The Adolph C. and Mary Sprague Miller Institute for Basic Research in Science, University of California, Berkeley2002 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Research Fellowship2001 David and Lucile Packard Foundation Fellowship for Science and Engineering2001 National Science Foundation CAREER Award1999 Camille and Henry Dreyfus New Faculty Award1999 Research Innovation Award from the Research CorporationNanometer-sized materials represent a natural size limit of the miniaturization trend of current technology, and they exhibit physical and chemical properties significantly different from their bulk counterparts. The research interest of Hongkun Park lies in developing detailed physical and chemical understanding of these nanostructures and applying this knowledge to possible technological applications. Current research efforts toward these general goals are centered on two areas: quantum optoplasmonics and nano-bio interfacing.
The goal of his quantum optoplasmonics effort is to develop solid-state photonic, optoelectronic, and plasmonic devices that work all the way down to the single photon level. Some examples of these devices include single-photon transistors, electrically driven surface plasmon lasers, and on-chip plasmon sources and detectors. These devices, whose operation is critically dependent upon quantum mechanical principles, may enable all-optical computing and provide the basis for solid-state quantum information processing.
The goal of his nano–bio interfacing effort is to develop new nanoscale tools for interrogating living cells and cell networks. He developed a vertical nanowire platform that can deliver diverse biological effectors into virtually any cell type, and is applying the platform to interrogate intracellular circuits that dictate the functions of primary immune cells. Using the same vertical nanowires, he also developed a highly scalable platform for recording and stimulating real-time dynamics of complex neuronal ensembles and is using this tool to study the inner workings of the brain. More recently, he developed a pipeline for single-cell transcriptomics that is applicable to a broad range of cell types. He is using it to study the cell-to-cell variability of immune, cancer, and neuron cells.
“Nanomechanical oscillations in a single-C60 transistor”, H. Park, J. Park, A. K. L. Lim, E. H. Anderson, A. P. A livisatos, and P. L. McEuen, Nature 407, 57–60 (2000)“Fabry-Perot interference in a nanotube electron waveguide”, W. Liang, M. Bockrath, D. Bozovic, J. H. Hafner, M. Tinkham, and H. Park, Nature 411, 665–669 (2001)“Nanowire nanosensors for highly sensitive and selective detection of biological and chemical species”, Y. Cui, Q. Wei, H. Park, and C. M. Lieber, Science 293, 1289–1292 (2001)“Resonant electron scattering by defects in single-walled carbon nanotubes”, M. Bockrath, W. Liang, D. Bozovic, J. H. Hafner, C. M. Lieber, M. Tinkham, and H. Park, Science 291, 283–285 (2001)“Kondo resonance in a single-molecule transistor”, W. Liang, M. P. Shores, M. Bockrath, J. R. Long, and H. Park, Nature 417, 725–729 (2002)“Single-walled carbon nanotube electronics”, P. L. McEuen, M. Fuhrer, and H. Park, IEEE Trans. Nanotech. 1, 78–85 (2002)“Shell filling and exchange coupling in metallic single-walled carbon nanotubes”, W. Liang, M. Bockrath, and H. Park, Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 126801 (2002)“Synthesis of single-crystalline perovskite nanowires composed of barium titanate and strontium titanate”, J. J. Urban, W. S. Yun, Q. Gu, and H. Park, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 124, 1186–1187 (2002)“Ferroelectric phase transitions in individual single-crystalline BaTiO3 nanowrires”, J. E. Spanier, A. M. Kolpak, J. J. Urban, I. Grinberg, W. S. Yun, L. Ouyang, A. M. Rappe and H. Park, Nano Lett. 6, 735 – 739 (2006)“Generation of single optical plasmons in metallic nanowires coupled to quantum dots”, A. V. Akimov, A. Mukherjee, C. L. Yu, D. E. Chang, A. S. Zibrov, P. R. Hemmer, H. Park and M. D. Lukin, Nature 450, 402–406 (2007)“Near field electrical detection of optical plasmons and single plasmon sources”, A. L. Falk, F. H. L. Koppens, C. Yu, K. Kang, N. P. de Leon Snapp, A. V. Akimov, M-H. Jo, M. D. Lukin, H. Park, Nature Phys. 5, 475–479 (2009)“Vertical silicon nanowires as a universal platform for delivering biomolecules into living cells”, A. Shalek, J. T. Robinson, E. S. Karp, J. S. Lee, D-R. Ahn, M-H. Yoon, A. Sutton, M. Jorgolli, R. S. Gertner, T. S. Gujral, G. MacBeath, E. G. Yang, H. Park, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 107, 1870–1875 (2010)“Vertical nanowire electrode arrays as a scalable platform for intracellular interfacing to neuronal circuits”, J. T. Robinson, M. Jorgolli, A. K. Shalek, M.-H. Yoon, R. S. Gertner, H. Park, Nature Nanotech. 7, 180–184 (2012)“Single-cell transcriptomics reveals bimodality in expression and splicing in immune cells”, A. K. Shalek, R. Satija, X. Adiconis, R. S. Gertner, J. T. Gaublomme, R. Raychowdhury, S. Schwartz, N. Yosef, C. Malboeuf, A. Gnirke, A. Goren, N. Hacohen, J. Z. Levin, H. Park, A. Regev, Nature accepted for publication (2013)“Dynamic regulatory network controlling Th17 cell differentiation”, N. Yosef, A. K. Shalek, J. T. Gaublomme, H. Jin, Y. Lee, A Awasthi, C. Wu, K. Karwacz, S. Xiao, M. Jorgolli, D. Gennert, R. Satija, A. Shakya, D. Y. Lu, J. T. Trombetta, M. Pillai, P. J. Ratcliffe, M. L. Coleman, M. Bix, D. Tantin, H. Park, V. K. Kuchroo, A. Regev, Nature 496, 461-468 (2013) 
