Taekjip Ha

Ha was born in Seoul, South Korea on February 20, 1968.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

He received a B.S. degree in physics at Seoul National University in 1990, and joined the physics department at University of California, Berkeley where he began to study atomic physics in the lab of Raymond Jeanloz in Berkeley's geophysics department.{{cite web|url=https://sites.google.com/site/taekjiphalab/brief-bio|title=Taekjip Ha Brief Bio|access-date=29 July 2015}} He worked on a project to place nitrogen and carbon under very high pressures, with the goal to create a material harder than diamonds. During this time, he had to take a temporary leave of absence from Berkeley to South Korea for a year to fulfill South Korea's military service requirements. Upon his return, Ha changed his research interests and joined the lab of Daniel Chemla, a prominent scientist known for his studies of quantum optics of semiconductors. Soon after joining Chemla's group, Ha began working closely with scientist Shimon Weiss to build a near-field scanning optical microscope, a machine equipped with a small aperture and a short-pulse laser able to measure a material's properties with high time and spatial resolution.{{cite web |url=https://physics.illinois.edu/people/profile.asp?tjha|title=Physics Faculty-Taekjip Ha|access-date=29 July 2015}} He subsequently received both his M.A. and Ph.D. at Berkeley and completed postdoctoral research at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Stanford University with advisor Steven Chu.{{cite web |url=https://sites.google.com/site/taekjiphalab/brief-bio |title=Brief Biography, Taekjip Ha |publisher=University of Kentucky Department of Chemistry |date= 6 March 2015 |accessdate=2015-05-08}} He was appointed to the faculty of the University of Illinois in 2000 as assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology.{{cite journal|title=Ready for Their Close-Ups: Investigating Single Molecules |journal=ACS Chemical Biology |volume=1 |issue=12 |pages=741–743 |doi=10.1021/cb6004799 |pmid=17240969 |year = 2006|last1 = Brownlee|first1 = Christen|doi-access=free }}{{cite web|url=https://chem.as.uky.edu/naff-symposium|title= Single Molecule Approaches to Deciphering Molecular Interactions in Biology: Bios|publisher=University of Illinois |date= |accessdate=2015-07-29}}

In July 2015, it was announced that Ha would move to Johns Hopkins University as a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor.{{cite web|url=http://hub.jhu.edu/2015/07/08/bloomberg-distinguished-professors-fanzo-ha-li-yuille|title=Four new Bloomberg Distinguished Professors named at Johns Hopkins|access-date=29 July 2015|date=2015-07-08}} The Bloomberg Distinguished Professorship program was established in 2013, by a gift from Michael BloombergAnderson, Nick. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/bloomberg-pledges-350-million-to-johns-hopkins-university/2013/01/26/9c0e1a5a-67d6-11e2-93e1-475791032daf_story.html "Bloomberg pledges $350 million to Johns Hopkins University"], The Washington Post, Washington, D.C., 23 January 2013. Retrieved on 12 March 2015. to recruit faculty with considerable accomplishments as interdisciplinary researchers and in excellence in teaching.Barbaro, Michael. [https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/27/nyregion/at-1-1-billion-bloomberg-is-top-university-donor-in-us.html?_r=0 "$1.1 Billion in Thanks From Bloomberg to Johns Hopkins"], The New York Times, New York, 26 January 2013. Retrieved on 1 March 2015.{{cite web|title=Michael R. Bloomberg Commits $350 Million to Johns Hopkins for Transformational Academic Initiative 2013|url= http://releases.jhu.edu/2013/01/26/michael-r-bloomberg-commits-350-million-to-johns-hopkins/}} Ha holds joint appointments in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine's department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, the Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences's Department of Biophysics, the Whiting School of Engineering's Department of Biomedical Engineering.{{cite web|url=http://biophysics.med.jhmi.edu/BIOPHYS/tjha.html|title=Faculty: Taekjip Ha, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor|access-date=29 July 2015|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150913062045/http://biophysics.med.jhmi.edu/BIOPHYS/tjha.html|archivedate=13 September 2015}} Through the Bloomberg Distinguished Professorship, Ha will be teaching a new undergraduate interdisciplinary biophysics course and will be engaged in the university's Individualized Health Initiative.

In 2021, Ha was elected President-elect of the Biophysical Society. He will assume the office of President-elect in 2022 and begin his term as President in 2023.{{Cite web|title=Biophysical Society Announces the Results of its 2021 Elections|url=https://www.newswise.com/articles/biophysical-society-announces-the-results-of-its-2021-elections|access-date=13 August 2021|website=Newswise}}

Ha has been recognized internationally for his pioneering work in biophysics. In 2001, he was named a Searle Scholar, recognizing him as an "exceptional young scientist." The following year, he received a National Science Foundation CAREER Award and a Fluorescence Young Investigator Award from the Biophysical Society. In 2003, he was named a Cottrell Scholar for his "high-quality research" and "dedication to the task of teaching undergraduates"{{cite web |url=http://rescorp.org/awards-database|title=Past Cottrell Scholars|publisher=Research Corporation |access-date=29 July 2015}} and an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellow for "outstanding promise."{{cite web |url=http://www.sloan.org/sloan-research-fellowships/|title=Sloan Research Fellowships|publisher=Alfred P. Sloan Foundation |access-date=29 July 2015}}{{cite web |url=http://www.sloan.org/sloan-research-fellowships/past-fellows/?tx_sloangrants_sloanfellows%5Baction%5D=list&tx_sloangrants_sloanfellows%5Bcontroller%5D=Fellows&cHash=8f53adde7b4458aff6de5c2679773fee|title=Past Fellows: Taekjip Ha|publisher=Alfred P. Sloan Foundation|access-date=29 July 2015}} In 2005, Ha was elected to the American Physical Society and was named an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in the scientific disciplines of Biophysics and Structural Biology, a position he continues to hold today.{{cite web |url=http://www.hhmi.org/scientists/taekjip-ha|title=Our Scientists|publisher=Howard Hughes Medical Institute|accessdate=2015-05-08}} He received the Michael and Kate Bárány Award of the Biophysical Society in 2007 for "his development and application of novel single molecule physical methods and techniques, and for his ground-breaking discoveries in the single molecule research field."{{cite web|url=http://www.biophysics.org/Portals/1/PDFs/Press%20Room/2006/2007%20Society%20Awardees.pdf|title= Michael and Kate Bárány Award Past Awardees|publisher= Biophysical Society|date=22 August 2006|access-date=20 July 2015}} In 2011, Ha won the Ho-Am Prize in Science for his "pioneering application of fluorescence resonance energy transfer techniques to reveal the behavior and physical characteristics of single biomolecules"; this prize is "widely regarded as the Korean equivalent of the Nobel Prizes."{{cite web |url=http://engineering.illinois.edu/news/article/2011-04-08-ha-wins-2011-ho-am-prize-science|title=Ha Wins 2011 Ho-Am Prize in Science |date=8 April 2011|access-date= 29 July 2015}} He was named the 2012 Scientist of the Year by the Korean-American Scientists and Engineers Association (KSEA) and Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies (KOFST).{{cite web |url=http://www.ksea.org/home/?q=node/472|title=2012 KSEA Award Winner|date=11 August 2012|access-date=29 July 2015}}

In 2015, Taekjip Ha was elected to both the National Academy of Sciences and American Academy of Arts and Sciences.{{cite web|url=http://www.nasonline.org/news-and-multimedia/news/april-28-2015-NAS-Election.html|title=National Academy of Sciences Members and Foreign Associates Elected|publisher=National Academy of Sciences|accessdate=2015-05-08|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120211335/http://www.nasonline.org/news-and-multimedia/news/april-28-2015-NAS-Election.html|archivedate=2015-11-20}}{{cite web|url=https://www.amacad.org/multimedia/pdfs/classlist2015.pdf|title=American Academy of Arts and Sciences Newly Elected Members, April 2015|publisher=American Academy of Arts and Sciences|accessdate=2015-05-08}} In 2021, he was elected as a member of the National Academy of Medicine.{{Cite web|date=2021-10-18|title=National Academy of Medicine Elects 100 New Members|url=https://nam.edu/national-academy-of-medicine-elects-100-new-members-2021/|access-date=2021-10-19|website=National Academy of Medicine|language=en-US}}

Taekjip Ha uses sophisticated physical techniques to manipulate and visualize the movements of single molecules{{cite web|url=https://communities.acs.org/docs/DOC-6119|title=ACS Network: Unsupported Browser|publisher=communities.acs.org|accessdate=2015-03-22}}{{Cite journal | doi=10.1038/nmeth.1980| pmid=22803196| title=Taekjip Ha| journal=Nature Methods| volume=9| issue=5| pages=421| year=2012| last1=Baker| first1=Monya| s2cid=30535018| doi-access=free}}{{cite web |url=http://cen.acs.org/articles/90/i11/New-Sensor-Cell-Metabolites.html|title=articles/90/i11/New-Sensor-Cell-Metabolites |publisher=cen.acs.org|accessdate=2015-03-22}} to understand basic biological processes involving DNA{{cite web|url=http://www.uillinois.edu/our/news/spotlight/u.dna.cfm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071229213628/http://www.uillinois.edu/our/news/spotlight/U.DNA.cfm|archive-date=2007-12-29|url-status=dead|title=DNA Research is Big Science|accessdate=2015-03-22}} and other molecules.{{cite web|url=http://newscience.com.au/dna-repair-mystery-solved-by-professor-taekjip-has-team.php|title=DNA repair mystery solved by Professor Taekjip Ha's team {{pipe}} New Science|publisher=newscience.com.au|accessdate=2015-03-22}} He applies the use of single-molecule techniques{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXueOomP_Ss|title=Frontiers in Laser Cooling, Single-Molecule Biophysics and Energy Science: Taekjip Ha and Xiaowei Zhuang - YouTube|publisher=youtube.com |accessdate=2015-03-22}}{{cite web|url=http://www.hhmi.org/research/investigators/ha.html|title=Taekjip Ha, PhD Research Abstract {{pipe}} HHMI.org|publisher=hhmi.org|accessdate=2015-03-22}} and has pioneered several techniques{{cite web|url=http://nanotechnologytoday.blogspot.com/2007/10/new-force-fluorescence-device-measures.html |title=Nanotechnology Today: New force-fluorescence device measures motion previously undetectable |publisher=nanotechnologytoday.blogspot.com |accessdate=2015-03-22}}{{Unreliable source?|reason=See reliable sources list on WP:KO/RS|date=May 2025}}{{cite book|title=Single-molecule Techniques: A Laboratory Manual|author1=Selvin, P.R.|author2=Ha, T.|date=2008|publisher=Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press |isbn=9780879697754 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0F4FEBvuJSYC|accessdate=2015-03-22}}{{cite web |url=http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-07/uoia-hch072607.php|title=Hepatitis C helicase unwinds DNA in a spring-loaded, 3-step process {{pipe}} EurekAlert! Science News|publisher=eurekalert.org|date=26 July 2007|accessdate=2015-03-22}} in studying biological systems usually supported by nano-mechanical tools such as optical tweezers.{{cite web |url=http://www.hhmi.org/research/investigators/ha.html |title=HHMI Scientist Abstract: Taekjip Ha, Ph.D |publisher=Hhmi.org |date=2012-05-30 |accessdate=2012-08-07}}{{cite web|url=http://physics.illinois.edu/people/profile.asp?tjha |title=Taekjip Ha {{pipe}} Department of Physics at the U of I |publisher=Physics.illinois.edu |date= |accessdate=2012-08-07}} Combining biophysical manipulation techniques and ultrasensitive fluorescence imaging to manipulate protein, RNA, and DNA molecules and observe their responses, Ha tests various protein-DNA and protein-protein interactions at extremely high spatial and temporal resolutions.{{Cite web|title=Taekjip Ha|url=https://www.hhmi.org/scientists/taekjip-ha|access-date=2021-06-03|website=HHMI|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Taekjip Ha|url=https://research.jhu.edu/members/taekjip-ha/|website=Johns Hopkins Office of Research}}

Ha has more than 37,000 citations in Google Scholar and an h-index of 103.{{Cite web|title=Taekjip Ha|url=https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=4SCvRv8AAAAJ&hl=en|access-date=2021-05-18|website=scholar.google.com}}

Selected Publications

• 2003 with A Yildiz, JN Forkey, SA McKinney, YE Goldman, PR Selvin, Myosin V walks hand-over-hand: single fluorophore imaging with 1.5-nm localization, in: Science. Vol. 300, nº 5628; 2061-2065.
• 2008 with R Roy, S Hohng, A practical guide to single-molecule FRET, in: Nature Methods. Vol. 5, nº 6; 507-516.
• 1996 with T Enderle, DF Ogletree, DS Chemla, PR Selvin, S Weiss, Probing the interaction between two single molecules: fluorescence resonance energy transfer between a single donor and a single acceptor, in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Vol. 93, nº 13; 6264-6268.
• 2010 with C Grashoff, BD Hoffman, MD Brenner, R Zhou, M Parsons, MT Yang, et al, Measuring mechanical tension across vinculin reveals regulation of focal adhesion dynamics, in: Nature. Vol. 466, nº 7303; 263-266.
• 2000 with X Zhuang, LE Bartley, HP Babcock, R Russell, D Herschlag, S Chu, A single-molecule study of RNA catalysis and folding, in: Science. Vol. 288, nº 5473; 2048-2051.
• 2008 with C Joo, H Balci, Y Ishitsuka, C Buranachai, Advances in single-molecule fluorescence methods for molecular biology, in: Annual Review of Biochemistry. Vol. 77; 51-76.

• James D. Watson
• Vijay Pande
• Steven Block
• Arthur Ashkin
• Julio M. Fernandez
• Alan Fersht
• Stephen D. Levene
• W. E. Moerner
• Paul Lauterbur
• List of biophysicists

{{Reflist|30em}}

• [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Ha+T&cauthor_id=22322217 Pubmed citations]
• [https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=4SCvRv8AAAAJ&hl=en Google Scholar citations]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ha, Taekjip}}

Category:1968 births

Category:Living people

Category:Scientists from Seoul

Category:Biophysicists

Category:American academics of Korean descent

Category:Howard Hughes Medical Investigators

Category:Recipients of the Ho-Am Prize in Science

Category:Johns Hopkins University Department of Biomedical Engineering faculty

Category:Members of the National Academy of Medicine

Category:Fellows of the American Physical Society