Yong-Chul came to the United States from Japan to study physics and chemistry at Hope College in Holland, MI, where he became interested in quantum mechanics and optics. At Hope, he conducted research in eye-tracking and computational molecular simulations under Justin Shorb. Currently, he is a third-year doctoral candidate in the Health Science and Technology program, developing necessary technology for intraoperative optical coherence tomography under Benjamin Vakoc. Outside of the lab, he is the drummer for Midnight Motion, a Boston-based jazz fusion/funk R&B band.