Professor ChoKyun Rha

Beloved wife of Professor Anthony J. Sinskey. Loving mother of Taeminn Song, Hyunmee Elaine Song and Tong-ik Lee Sinskey. Cherished grandmother of Tim Song, Deborah Jiehyun Song, Jina Lee Sinskey, Yunna Lee Sinskey and Jinhan Lee Sinskey. Dear sister of WanKyun Kim, ChungKyun Kim, HwaKyun Cha, SooKyun Rha, the late SungKyun Rha, TaeKyun Rha and YoungKyun Rha.

The family will receive visitors on Saturday, March 6, 2021 from 2pm to 6pm in the J.S. Waterman-Langone Chapel, 580 Commercial St., Boston, MA 02109. Valet assistants at the front door. To pay your respects virtually please join at https://youtu.be/fEuOlhtaC5U

In lieu of flowers, gifts in memory of ChoKyun Rha may be made to the ChoKyun Rha (1962) and Anthony J. Sinskey (1967) Fund, account # 3327545. The following link may be used to make credit card gifts: https://giving.mit.edu/chokyun-rha. Checks should be sent to the MIT Office of Memorial Gifts, 600 Memorial Drive, Room W98-526, Cambridge MA 02139. Questions about making memorial gifts may be directed to Bonny Kellermann (617-429-9860, [email protected]).

In addition to the viewing on Saturday, the family will host a day in memorial to honor Professor ChoKyun Rha in October 2021. Location and details will be communicated later in the year.

Professor ChoKyun Rha -- a Scientific and Intellectual Trailblazer

Professor ChoKyun Rha had a fulfilling and unique professional career and personal life. Her innovative thinking and contributions have changed the lives of her family, friends, colleagues, students, and many of whom have never met her. She will be remembered and missed by people from Boston to Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Russia, Australia - all around the world.

Professor Rha would often say that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was her second home. “MIT allowed [her] to develop and to define [her] life. It create[s] a very special world where there is no limit to what one can do.”

Professor Rha was an intellectual pioneer. Indeed, she broke societal limits as the very first Asian female tenured faculty at MIT. Professor Rha headed the MIT Biomaterials Science and Engineering Laboratory and was the founding and principal investigator for the "Malaysia-MIT Biotechnology Partnership Program". She loved the pursuit of excellence and dedicated much of her life to continuous learning. Professor Rha earned four degrees from MIT and her legacy goes beyond those diplomas. She worked at the frontiers of science. She published more than 200 scientific articles and holds over 20 patents. Her efforts in Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), research in Biopolymers and Biomaterials, especially hyaluronic acid and chitosan, polyphenols, and additional discoveries have been instrumental in the commercialization and/or development of several biotechnology and food science organizations (Anheuser-Busch, Genzyme, Phenolaeis, and Conrex to name a few). She also played a pivotal role in the commercialization of key MPOB and FRIM technologies.

Dr. Rha understood that organizations, friends, and families were based on individuals and the relationships they invested and engaged in. “You could build tremendous buildings with no intellectual capacity.” Human intellect is the key. In her pursuit of the development of human capital, she spent her time serving on the International Advisory Panel to the Prime Minister of Malaysia, mentoring countless students across the globe, hosting intellectual gatherings, and being a founding member of Women’s World Banking.

She will be forever missed and remembered as a bright soul that strove to change the world for the better with her steadfastness, style, spirit, and smarts.

Professor Rha acknowledged that “giving is a privilege,” and showed her gratitude by giving back- mentoring countless students, contributing to scholarship funds, and establishing a gift of annuity to support a professorship in Microbiology, Biology, and Material Science. Professor Rha felt “obliged to do whatever [she] could for [MIT], not only because it’s done so much for [her] but also because [she was] a part of this great institution.” In honor of her fierce commitment to innovation and MIT, gifts in memory of Professor ChoKyun Rha may be made to the ChoKyun Rha and Anthony J. Sinskey Fund at MIT.