Beom-hyeon Kim, an integrated MS-PhD student in the POSTECH Department of Electrical Engineering, won a silver award in the Communications & Networks category at the 32nd Samsung Humantech Paper Awards, organized by Samsung Electronics. The paper was coauthored by Dong-geun Ahn and Byeong-gwan Lee under the supervision of Professor Wonbin Hong.

The award-winning paper, “AI-Assisted Optimization of Higher-Order MIMO Antennas for Arbitrary Mobile Terminal Scenarios,” presents the first AI-based approach to monitoring the state of antennas inside a mobile device in real time and dynamically optimizing them across arbitrary user scenarios and changing environments. By increasing the number of antennas typically installed in a smartphone from four to as many as eight, the research demonstrates the technical potential to improve data transmission quality efficiently while responding reliably to diverse variables across more than one million smartphone usage scenarios. The work is being extended toward commercialization and standardization in mobile terminals and antenna technology. In recognition of its excellence and distinctive contribution, it is scheduled for demonstration and presentation at MWC 2026, the world’s largest mobile communications exhibition.

Organized by Samsung Electronics and jointly supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT and JoongAng Ilbo, the Samsung Humantech Paper Awards are Korea’s largest academic paper competition. This year, a record 3,172 papers were submitted. Kim’s paper received the silver award after a rigorous three-stage review.

February 2026