He received his bachelor's degree in Physics from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). He completed two master's degrees in Physics at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Dr. Seo completed his PhD in Physics from UCLA under the supervision of Professor David Cline, followed by postdoctoral training at the same institution. He joined the UCSF Physics Research Laboratory in 2003, and was trained under the supervision of Professor Bruce Hasegawa before joining the faculty in 2006.