BIOGRAPHY

Prof. Yoon Kim is an associate professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He studied Chemical Engineering at Hanyang University, Korea (2010) summa cum laude and received his Ph.D. from the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 2016 (advisor: Prof. Nicholas A. Kotov). His Ph.D. work on stretchable electronic and optical materials has earned him the ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award and DSM Science & Technology Award, ACS. Subsequently, he worked at the Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as a postdoctoral associate from 2016 to 2019 with Prof. Timothy M. Swager.

His research group at the HKUST is pioneering the design/synthesis of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) and polymers and applying them to the frontiers of rechargeable batteries. The current research topics include “Ionic COF Solid Electrolytes”, “All-Solid-State Lithium Metal Batteries”, “Anode-Free Alkali (Li/Na) Batteries”, etc. He has received numerous awards/recognitions in his independent career, including Early Investigator from PMSE, ACS, Rising Star from ACS Materials Au, Emerging Investigator from Nanoscale, Influential Researcher from I&EC Research, etc.

APPOINTMENTS

• 2025–present — Associate Professor (tenured), Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR, China 

• 2019–2025 — Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR, China

• 2016–2019 — Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA (with Prof. Timothy M. Swager)

• 2010–2016 — Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA (with Prof. Nicholas A. Kotov)

• 2009–2010 — Visiting Scholar, Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA (with Prof. Adam J. Matzger)

EDUCATION

• 2016 — Ph.D., Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

• 2010 — B.S., Department of Chemical Engineering, Hanyang University, Korea, Summa Cum Laude

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE

• 2026–present — Editorial Advisory Board, ACS Applied Energy Materials, ACS

• 2025–present — Editorial Board, Scientific Reports, Springer Nature

• 2024–2025 — Guest editor, Advanced Materials, Wiley, on “35th Anniversary of Materials Research at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology”

• 2023–present — Community Board, Nanoscale Horizons, RSC

• 2022–present — Early Career Advisory Board, Materials Today Energy, Elsevier

• 2017–2018 — Contributed editor, Synfacts, Thieme