Directory profile for Dr. Yonghyun (John) Kim

Selected Publications

• Dr. Yonghyun (John) Kim is the Interim Department Head of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Alabama (UA), having previously served as Associate Department Head (2018–2025). He earned his B.S. in Chemical Engineering and B.A. in Biochemistry from Lafayette College (2002), a Ph.D. from UMBC (2008), and completed post-doctoral training in oncology at the Samsung Biomedical Research Institute (2008–2011).
• A 2022–2023 U.S. Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Kim has received numerous honors, including the James M. Van Lanen Distinguished Service Award (2024) from the American Chemical Society (ACS) Division of Biochemical Technology (BIOT), where he served as Chair (2023–2025). At UA, he was honored with the Outstanding Faculty (2019, 2020), Faculty Excellence in Undergraduate Education (2024), Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor (2016, 2024, 2026), Outstanding Faculty Research Impact (2023), and Faculty Excellence in Impactful Leadership Awards (2026).
• Dr. Kim’s commitment to student development is reflected in his leadership of the department’s study abroad program (since 2017), the GAANN fellowship program (2021–2025), and as co-director of an REU program (2019–2023). He currently directs an international research program in Portugal (since 2024).
• With over 70 peer-reviewed publications, his research focuses on bioengineering models of cancer stem cells. His work is supported by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Education, and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama.