Seonglae ChoResearch Institutes
World-class institutes for basic science succeeded because they did not force usefulness or short-term results onto researchers, but instead gave exceptional scholars the maximum possible freedom.
- IAS (Princeton): Founded by Abraham Flexner in 1930. It freed researchers from teaching, administration, and short-term practical demands, guaranteeing space for pure curiosity-driven research. It attracted leading scholars such as Einstein, von Neumann, and Gödel.
- IHES (France): Founded in 1958 on the IAS model. By recruiting figures such as Grothendieck and Dieudonné, it became a world-class institute, especially in algebraic geometry. Its core strength was that teaching obligations and bureaucracy were minimal, while research freedom was maximized.
- Main conclusion: KIAS should value the selection of outstanding talent and complete academic freedom more than paper counts, research funding, or immediate applicability. This is the key lesson to learn from the success of IAS and IHES.
The Median Researcher Problem
Research practices spread through average, not top, researchers, often leading to flawed norms. Small, well-informed communities may outperform larger fields.
