Dr. Yi So-yeon
South Korea’s first and only astronaut
Dr. Yi So-yeon is South Korea’s first and only astronaut. She was selected as an astronaut in December 2006, out of 36,000 contestants vying for the title of South Korea’s first astronaut. On April 8, 2008, she launched into space on board Soyuz TMA-12 for an 11-day mission at the International Space Station. Dr. Yi received her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering and her Ph.D. in biosystems from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.
She received her Master of Business Administration with an emphasis on Technology and Global Leadership at the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley. Currently, she works as the managing director of business development partnership of biotech startup Noul.