On behalf of the Organizing Committee, it is my great pleasure to welcome you to the 2026 KSEA West Gulf Coast Regional Conference, taking place on December 5, 2026, at Baylor College of Medicine. 

This annual gathering brings together faculty, researchers, engineers, students, and industry professionals to share discoveries, exchange ideas, and build lasting connections. Together, we advance KSEA’s mission to promote science and technology for the benefit of society and support the professional growth of Korean-American scientists and engineers. 

We are especially honored to welcome Richard A. Gibbs, Ph.D., Founder and Director of Baylor College of Medicine’s Human Genome Sequencing Center, as our keynote speaker. A pioneering leader in the Human Genome Project, Dr. Gibbs has helped shape modern genomics and bring genome sequencing into clinical care.

Alongside invited presentations and poster sessions, this year’s program features a biotech session connecting industry and the Texas Medical Center research community. Brief company introductions will be followed by a moderated discussion and Q&A, creating opportunities for faculty, trainees, and research staff to explore research and clinical collaborations with participating companies.

We also celebrate the contributions of emerging investigators, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and early-career professionals. Your ideas and participation are essential to the future of our scientific community.

I encourage you to take full advantage of the program: ask questions, share your work, meet colleagues across disciplines, and explore new partnerships. We hope the conversations that begin here will grow into lasting collaborations.

We sincerely thank our speakers, sponsors, organizing committee, and volunteers for making this conference possible.

Welcome, and thank you for being part of the 2026 WGCRC!

Warm regards, 

Junseok Park, Ph.D.
2026 KSEA West Gulf Coast Regional Conference Chair
KSEA – South Texas Chapter