Dohyung Kim
Assistant Professor
Contact
Tel: 215-746-8611
Email: dohyungk@seas.upenn.edu
Research Website | Publications
About
Dohyung Kim is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. He received his B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Seoul National University in 2012 and a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 2018. Before joining Penn Engineering in 2022, he was a postdoctoral scholar at the Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University. His research focuses on gaining fundamental insights into electrochemical processes occurring at solid-liquid interfaces and applying such knowledge to various areas of energy, chemicals, materials, and the environment. He is a recipient of the Hanwha Non-tenured Faculty Award, Kavli Energy Nanoscience Institute Thesis Prize, and the Gareth Thomas Materials Excellence Award.
Research Interests
Progress in chemical reactions driven by electrons is changing the landscape of how energy is generated, converted, stored, and used in our society. However, significant breakthroughs are still needed to fully transition to a sustainable economy of renewable electrons. Thus, efforts should be focused on advancing our capacity to drive electrochemical reactions that occur at the surface and interface of materials at the nanoscale. Our inability to expand the use of electrochemical reactions in the energy and materials supply chain arises from the three fundamental challenges that limit their efficiency and wide applicability:
(1) Inability to achieve a multi-dimensional control of reactions (e.g., enzymatic catalysis)
(2) Inability to increase reaction complexity (e.g., using complex forms of reactants)
(3) Limited understanding and control of solids in electrochemical environments
Our projects focus on developing unique materials, processes, and methods that improve the functionality and applicability of electrochemically active surfaces and interfaces. Specifically, we design heterostructured interfaces that could manipulate the electric double layer, investigate the fundamental processes behind the dissociation of molecules in electrochemical environments, and develop electrochemical methods to reduce and sequester carbon dioxide into nanostructured carbons. These research activities are expected to lead to new electrocatalyst materials, electrode designs, and electrochemical processes applicable to sustainable energy conversion and storage, chemical catalysis, and materials manufacture. A broader range of anticipated applications include electrochemical water splitting, fuel cells, electrochemical CO2 reduction to carbon-based gases, liquids, and solids, electrochemical reforming and hydrogenolysis of biomass and wastes, pseudocapacitive energy storage, and water desalination.
Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology; Catalysis and Reaction Engineering; Energy and Environmental Engineering
Educational Background
Ph.D.: University of California, Berkeley (2018)
B.S.: Seoul National University (2012)
Awards
2023 Scialog Fellow, Negative Emissions Science
2023 Hanwha Non-tenured Faculty Award
2018 Best Thesis Prize, Kavli Energy NanoScience Institute
2018 Fellow Finalist (Inaugural cohort), Schmidt Science
2018 MRS Graduate Student Award – Silver
2017 Gareth Thomas Materials Excellence Award
2012 – 2017 Samsung Scholar