Hong Joo Ryoo is a UC Berkeley alum, having completed a quadruple major in Math, Physics, Philosophy and Cognitive Science in 3.5 years. He is currently pursuing a dual graduate degree at Johns Hopkins University, working toward a PhD in Physics and a Masters in Philosophy as a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellow. At Berkeley, he was a recipient of the SURF and Rose Hills Fellowships, and was also a member of the Arts & Humanities Dean's Leadership Team. His work centers an interdisciplinary approach, situated at an intersection between physical and philosophical inquiry.
I would love to hear you introduce yourself! What are some of your main interests, and what did you study while at Berkeley?
I’m Hong Joo. I’m involved in both physics and philosophy, and I’m generally drawn to the deepest questions about reality and truth.* I know that’s super broad, but as always, assume there’s an invisible footnote behind every sentence. When you’re speaking with philosophers, you need to be super precise, and it’s the same with physicists.
To explore these questions more fully, I work at the intersection of the two fields, seeing how they mesh and drawing out their differences to get a fuller picture of what’s going on. Have you heard this quote?
To develop a complete mind: Study the science of art; Study the art of science. Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.
It’s by Leonardo DaVinci. That line has stayed with me because it perfectly captures the interdisciplinary spirit that drives my work.
My curiosity took shape at Berkeley, where I completed an interdisciplinary undergraduate path and wrote an Honors Thesis in Physics during my senior year. Now, I’m pursuing graduate studies in both disciplines at Johns Hopkins, and I am continuing to explore how these fields intersect.