June 2024

May 2024

  • Abbey Robinson joined our lab as an REU student from CMI MRSEC center. Abbey is a rising Junior in Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Cornell University. She will be mentored by Ikram and Changhoon for the bioinspired glue project.
  • We received the catalyst grant from Graham Sustainability Institute of University of Michigan. Through this catalyst grant, we aim to achieve laboratory-scale research outcomes showing that our bio-inspired adhesion promoter will lead to more resilient roads. This project will continue from June 1 to December 31, 2024. Read the news here.

April 2024

March 2024

  • Meng-Hsun (Matthew) passed the PhD Qualification Exam. Congratulations Matthew!
  • Jiwon successfully defended his PhD dissertation on March 22. He initiated the new research direction in our lab based on dopamine based surface independent coating. We are very proud of him. Congratulations, Dr. Jiwon Lim!
  • Ikram presented a poster on ‘Bioinspired Interfacial Engineering of Bitumen-aggregate Interface’ in ACS Spring Meeting.
  • Changhoon joined Kim lab as a visiting PhD student from MSE, Seoul National University. Welcome Changhoon!
  • Jinho joined as a postdoctoral researcher in Kim lab. He did his PhD in Inha University. Jinho has a vast experience working on phosphorescent material. Welcome Jinho!

February 2024

  • Prof Kaori Sugihara from Tokyo University visited our lab and gave a talk on Lipid as a Building Material for Biotechnologies.

January 2024

  • Yonghwan went back to Seoul National University to continue his postdoctoral research. We wish you good luck for your future endeavors.

Happy New Year 2024!


December 2023

  • Jianlu went back to Tokyo to continue her PhD research there. We will miss you Jianlu!
  • Prof Kim hosted all group members with family in his house for a year end dinner. It was a fun event. Thank you for inviting us, Prof Kim!

November 2023

  • Mira received prestigious Rackham International Student Fellowship from Rackham Graduate School. Congratulations, Mira!
  • Prof Kim gave a talk on “Rational Molecular Design of Organic Functional Materials for Biosensors and Optoelectronics” at Chemical and Environmental Engineering Department, University of Arizona.
  • Dr. Yonghwan Kwon joined us as visiting research scholar from the Seoul National University. He is a postdoc in Prof. Min Sang Kwon’s group there. Welcome to the team!

October 2023

  • Oguz and Fatma has become parent of a baby boy. Congratulations to the new mom and dad!
  • Jianlu Zhang joined our team as a visiting PhD student from University of Tokyo. She is from Prof. Kaori Sugihara group and will be working with us on synthesizing polydiacetylene sensor. Welcome Jianlu and enjoy Ann Arbor!

September 2023

  • Matthew started his first semester of PhD in the Macromolecular Science & Engineering program. Congratulations, Matthew! We wish your successful journey here.
  • We will start our brand new project on sustainable polymer design using dynamic covalent chemistry. This project is funded by NSF MRSEC grant. We are very excited about the project. To learn more about the project, check this news.
  • We welcome our new undergraduate student Jihyun Park from chemistry department!

August 2023

  • We enjoyed our very first lab group picnic after pandemic at Kensington Metro Park. We are happy to resume our summer picnic after three years.
  • Prof Kim and Jiwon attended and presented in ACS Fall National Meeting at San Francisco.
  • Kim group is very happy to welcome our alumni Prof. Min Sang Kwon as a visiting Professor in our lab. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Materials Science and Engineering department at Seoul National University

July 2023

June 2023

  • Kim group alumni organized a symposium in Seoul, South Korea to celebrate 20th year of Prof. Kim’s professorship.
  • Ikram received Rackham Predoctoral Research Grant to continue his research on asphalt road. Congratulations!

April 2023

February 2023

  • February 2023 Ricardo accepted an Assistant Professor position at Indiana University Bloomington starting July 1, 2023. Congratulations Prof. Ricardo Vazquez!!

Past News (2006-2022)

  • July 2022 Congratulations Deokwon on his productive dissertation research and becoming Dr. Seo !
  • June 2022 Congratulations Muru on her successful PhD defense. Muru is now Dr. Zhou. We all will miss you soon.
  • April 2022 Congratulations Steven on his outstanding PhD defense. We will miss you, Dr. Shao. 
  • December 2021 Congratulations Ramin on his successful PhD defense. We will miss Dr. Ansari soon. 
  • August 2021 Congratulations Yingying on her successful PhD defense! Yingying is now Dr. Zeng!!
  • March 2021 Congratulations Steven on 2021 Rackham Pre-doctoral Fellowship !!
  • March 2020 Congratulations Da Seul on her outstanding PhD research and fantastic PhD defense. We will miss Dr. Yang very much soon. 
  • February 2020 Dr. Apoorv Shanker current a Postdoc at MIT nailed the prestigious Mazumdar-Shaw International Oncology Fellowship. Congratulations!!
  • January 2020 Mira became a Ph.D. candidate. Great job!
  • December 2019 Mira received Rackham International Student Fellowship. Congratulations!!
  • November 2019 Yingying received Outstanding Basic Science Poster Award at the Engineering Research Symposium 2019. Congratulations!! 
  • October 2019 Da Seul received 2019 Overberger Research Excellence Award. Jonathan received Overall Best Poster Award at the Macromolecular Sci. & Eng. Annual Symposium. Congratulations!!
  • September 2019 Congratulations Ricardo on his successful Ph.D. defense. Congratulations Dr. Vazquez.
  • August 2019 Mira received PPG Summer Fellowship from Macro/PPG
  • February 2019 Da Seul received Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship. Congratulations!!
  • February 2019 Yingying received Barbour Award. Congratulations!!
  • February 2019 Muru received Rackham International Student Fellowship. Congratulations!!
  • January 2019 Prof. Kim received Jon R. and Beverly S. Holt Awards for Excellence in Teaching
  • January 2019 Congratulations Chen on his productive PhD research and successful defense. Congratulations Dr. Li.
  • January 2019 Congratulations Dr Joonkoo Kang on his excellent PhD research and successful defense.
  • November 2018 Steven became a Ph.D candidate. 
  • October 2018 Steven received the Overall Best Poster Award at the 42nd Annual Macro Symposium. Congratulations!!
  • August 2018 Our alum Katharina Maisel accepted Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Maryland (College Park). Congratulations!!
  • July 2018 Yingying became a Ph.D candidate. 
  • May 2018 Da Seul received PPG Fellowship from Macro
  • January 2018 Congratulations Jaehun on his successful PhD defense!!
  • January 2018 Congratulations Byeongseop on his productive PhD research and successful defense
  • December 2017 Congratulations Yingying on the Rackham International Student Award!!
  • September 2017 Yingying received PPG Fellowship from Macro
  • July 2017 Apoorv and Chen’s work has been published in Science Advances (https://news.engin.umich.edu/2017/07/heat-conducting-plastic-could-lead-to-lighter-electronics-cars/).
  • April 2017 Congratulations Dr. Apoorv Shanker on his superb PhD research and successful defense!
  • April 2017 Apoorv received 2017 Towner Prize for Distinguished Academic Achievement
  • April 2017 Apoorv received 2017 Best Oral Presentation Award a the 13th Excellence in Graduate Polymer Research Symposium, 253rd ACS National Meeting, San Francisco.
  • April 2017 Congratulation Apoorv on receiving the 2017 ACS Excellence in Graduate Polymer Research Award 
  • February 2017 Congratulations Dr. Sungbaek Seo on beginning his independent career as an Assistant Professor at Pusan National University (Dept. of Biomaterial Science)
  • December 2016 Congratulations Da Seul on her wedding!!
  • November 2016 Apoorv received MRS Graduate Student Award 
  • September 2016 Congratulations Daseul on becoming Ph.D. candidate within one year following the same legendarily fast candidacy of Joonkoo!!
  • August 2016 Congratulations Byeongseop on his wedding!!
  • April 2016 Congratulations Dr. Kyeongwoon Chung on his productive Ph.D. research and successful defense!
  • March 2016 Apoorv Received 2016 Packham Pre-doctoral Fellowship
  • February 2016 Dr. Gun-Ho Kim accepted an Assistant Professor position at UNIST ME
  • January 2016 Prof. Kim received Monroe-Brown Foundation Research Excellent Award 
  • January 2016 Dr. Min Sang Kwon accepted an Assistant Professor position at UNIST MSE
  • October 2015 Kyeongwoon received 2015 Overberger Research Excellent Award. Congratulations!!
  • October 2015 Apoorv received the Best Poster Award at the Macro Annual Symposium
  • September 2015 Minsang’s new paper has been accepted to Nature Communications. Great job!! (https://www.engin.umich.edu/college/about/news/stories/2015/december/new-chemical-process)
  • September 2015 Joonkoo became a Ph.D. candidate. 
  • September 2015 Da Seul received the prestigious Kwanjeong Overseas Fellowship. Congratulations!
  • September 2015 Dr. Kangwon Lee accepted Assistant Professor position at Seoul National University
  • May 2015 Kyeongwoon’s Supercooled Liquid has been published in ACS Central Science (https://pubs.acs.org/journal/acscii and highlighted in https://www.ns.umich.edu/new/multimedia/videos/22888-supercool-material-glows-when-you-write-on-it, https://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2015/05/touch-lights-supercooled-material, MRS materials 360 online https://www.materials360online.com/newsDetails/54357, https://fusion.net/story/134541/this-glowing-material-turns-from-liquid-to-solid-with-one-touch,  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3081449/The-material-MIDAS-touch-Supercooled-liquid-instantly-glows-gold-s-touched.html)
  • Feb 2015 Dr. Bong-Gi Kim accepted  an Assistant Professor position at Konkuk University
  • December 2014 Congratulations Dongwook on becoming a Doctor through productive Ph.D. research. 
  • November 2014 Gun-Ho, Dongwook, and Apoorv’s work on high thermal conductivity in amorphous polymer blends has been published in Nature Materials. (https://www.nature.com/nmat/journal/vaop/ncurrent/pdf/nmat4141.pdf) This work was a collaboration result with Kevin Pipe group in Mechanical Engineering. Congratulations!!
  • The thermal conductivity in amorphous polymer blends has been highlighted in UM News and other news media. (https://ns.umich.edu/new/multimedia/slideshows/22539-heat-conducting-plastic-developed-at-u-michigan, https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141126171620.htm)
  • October 2014 Dongwook received 2014 Overberger Research Excellent Award. Congratulations!!
  • September 2014 Jaehun became a Ph.D candidate.  
  • July 2014 Minsang and Dongwook’s work published in Angew Chem with a cover has been highlighted (https://ns.umich.edu/new/releases/22291-toward-ultimate-light-efficiency-on-the-cheap)   (https://www.engin.umich.edu/college/about/news/stories/2014/july/pholeds2) (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.proxy.lib.umich.edu/store/10.1002/anie.201408162/asset/201408162_ftp.pdf?v=1&t=hzpjucdm&s=70e4be5260ddc37e68efaf45dde82a096def10d0)
  • May 2014 Dr. Jiseok Lee accepted an Assistant Professor position at UNIST Chemical Engineering
  • April 2014 Congratulations Dr. David Bilby on his productive Ph.D. research and successful defense!
  • March 2014 Congratulations Dr. Sungbaek Seo on his productive Ph.D. research and successful defense!
  • January 2014 Apoorv became a Ph.D. candidate.
  • September 2013 Noah became a Ph.D. candidate.
  • July 2013 Dr. Kangwon Lee accepted a Senior Research Scientist/Associate Professor position at KIST and University of Science and Technology (UST) 
  • April 2013 Our group got sustainable laboratory certification.
  • March 2013 Bong-Gi’s Nature Materials paper (https://www.nature.com/nmat/journal/vaop/ncurrent/pdf/nmat3595.pdf) has been highlighted in Discovery News and many other news media Discovery News (https://news.discovery.com/tech/nanotechnology/plastic-electronics-circuits-130324.htm) University of Michigan News (https://www.ns.umich.edu/new/multimedia/slideshows/21325-paint-on-plastic-electronics-aligning-polymers-for-high-performance) Science Daily (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130324151830.htm)
  • March 2013 Prof. Kim received Departmental Outstanding Accomplishment Award, University of Michigan 2013
  • January 2013 Donghyuk accepted an Assistant Professor Position at Inha University
  • January 2013 Kyle became a Ph.D. candidate
  • November 2012 Kyungwoon (Kyle) received 2013 Rackham International Student Fellowship
  • October 2012 Bong-Gi’s Adv. Funct. Mater. paper about rational dye design for dye sensitized solar cells has been highlighted in the Frontiers in Energy Research (https://www.energyfrontier.us/newsletter/201210/now-time-design-novel-dye-solar-cells)
  • October 2012 Bong-Gi’s Adv. Funct. Mater. paper about conjugated polymer design for solar cells has been highlighted in the research news (https://www.engin.umich.edu/newscenter/feature/plastic-solar-cells)
  • September 2012 Dongwook became a Ph.D. candidate
  • April 2012 Congratulations Dr. Bong-Gi Kim on his outstanding and productive Ph.D. research and successful defense!
  • March 2012 Jiseok’s Nerve Agent Sensor has been highlighted in Scientific American (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=chemical-weapon-litmus-test) and UM News (https://ns.umich.edu/new/releases/20266-nerve-gas-litmus-test-could-sense-airborne-chemical-weapons). MConnex (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBOJsG_4fws)
  • February 2012 Bong-Gi received a Graduate Student Award in Environmental and Energy Sustainability
  • January 2012 David became a Ph.D. candidate
  • October 2011 Bong-Gi received 2011 Overberger Research Excellent Award. Congratulations!!
  • September 2011 Sungbaek became a Ph.D. candidate
  • August 2011 Kim Group relocated to North Campus Research Complex (NCRC)
  • July 2011 Congratulations Laura Povlich on her successful Ph.D. defense. Great Job Dr. Povlich!!
  • April 2011 Congratulations Dr. Jiseok Lee on his excellent Ph.D. research and successful defense!
  • April 2011 Congratulations Robert on his successful Ph.D. defense. Now Rob is Dr. Nidetz!!
  • April 2011 Our alumna Katharina Maisel received the prestigious NSF GRFP Fellowship. Congratulations!!
  • March 2011 Congratulations Laura on her prestigious MRS/OSA Congressional Fellowship!
  • February 2011 Onas has his pure organic phosphors as the Cover of March Nature Chemistry
  • February 2011 Onas’ Nature Chemistry paper appears on the web (https://www.nature.com/nchem/journal/v3/n3/pdf/nchem.984.pdf). The paper has been selected as a News of the Week in C&EN (https://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/89/i07/8907notw3.html) and highlighted in RSC Chemistryworld (https://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2011/February/13021101.asp). The Nature Chemistry paper has been highlighted in the following links UM webpage  (https://ns.umich.edu/htdocs/releases/story.php?id=8261) DailyTech (https://www.dailytech.com/New+Lightemitting+Material+May+Usher+in+Era+of+Cheap+OLEDs/article20915c.htm) SIFY News ( https://www.sify.com/news/scientists-create-jewel-toned-organic-phosphorescent-crystals-news-scitech-lcprkpigdbh.html) Gizmag ( https://www.gizmag.com/new-material-oleds/17904/) ScienceBlog (https://scienceblog.com/42724/jewel-toned-organic-phosphorescent-crystals-a-new-class-of-light-emitting-material/) eScienceNews (https://esciencenews.com/sources/chemistry.world/2011/02/13/first.purely.organic.phosphor) Chem2Tech (https://chem2tech-en.blogspot.com/2011/02/first-purely-organic-phosphor.html) Blogspot (https://esraa-chemist.blogspot.com/2011/02/first-purely-organic-phosphor.html) NewsGuide (https://newsguide.us/education/science/Jewel-toned-organic-phosphorescent-crystals-A-new-class-of-light-emitting-material/)
  • November 2010 Laura received an ACS Award at the Excellence in Graduate Polymer Research Symposium, 241st ACS national meeting, Anaheim, CA.
  • November 2010 Jiseok received the 1st place award in the Materials and Chemical Technology section at the CoE Graduate Symposium.
  • November 2010 Jiseok received the 2nd place poster award at the Aldrich Symposium in Materials Science. April 2010 Congratulations our excellent undergraduate Kevin Yien on the Grand Prize in Scientific Merit at 2010 Imaging Microstructure Contest. https://www.mse.engin.umich.edu/internal/imaging-microstructure-contest-2010/winners
  • December 2009 Congratulations Dr. Onas Bolton on his outstanding Ph.D. research. We will miss Onas a lot!
  • November 2009 Laura received ACS Leadership Development Award. Congratulations!!
  • September 2009 Jiseok’s Adv. Mater. paper appears as an inside cover (vol 21 issue 36)
  • April 2009 Congratulations Donghwan on his successful Ph.D. defense
  • February 2009 Hyong-Jun accepted an Assistant Professor position at Kongju National University
  • December 2008 Congratulations Myung-Su on his excellent Ph.D. research and becoming Dr. Kim. We will miss Myung-Su very much
  • December 2008 Congratulations Rob. He became a Ph.D. candidate
  • November 2008 Onas received one of the 1st Prize at the Graduate Student Symposium!
  • June 2008 Bong-Gi received the MMPEI Energy Fellowship. Congratulations!! https://www.mmpei.umich.edu/news/fellowships.html June 2008 Laura became a Ph.D. candidate
  • June 2008 Jiseok became a Ph.D. candidate
  • May 2008 Myung-Su received the Best Poster Award at the AVS meeting
  • May 2008 Hyong-Jun’s Adv. Mater. paper was highlighted by “Noteworthy Chemistry” a news weekely published by the Americal Chemical Society. This paper was also highlighted by Nanomaterials News intertechpira.com https://portal.acs.org/portal/acs/corg/content?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=PP_ARTICLEMAIN&node_id=840&content_id=WPCP_008887&use_sec=true&sec_url_var=region1 April 2008 Congratulations Kangwon for his very successful Ph.D. research and becoming Dr. Lee. We will miss you very much
  • April 2008 Rob received Distinguished Achievement Award from MSE
  • March 2008 Jiseok’s Potassium Sensor appeared in JACS
  • March 2008 Hyong-Jun’s Adv. Mater. paper was highlighted in the UM press release https://www.ns.umich.edu/htdocs/releases/story.php?id=6398
  • January 2008 Laura received Tissue Engineering and Regeneration Training Grant!
  • November 2007 Katharina received the best poster award at the ASM International
  • October 2007 Laura received Dow Chemical Award at the Macro Symposium
  • June 2007 Dr. Hyong-Jun Kim accepted a Research Professor Position from Seoul National University
  • June 2007 Congratulations Donghwan. He became a Ph.D. candidate
  • June 2007 Kangwon’s signal amplifying conjugated polymer-based DNA microarry has been published in Angew. Chem.
  • May 2007 Onas became a Ph.D. candidate and received a Master’s degree in MSE
  • May 2007 Onas’ work on oxadiazoles has been published in Journal of Materials Science, Emerging Investigator Special Issue
  • March 2007 Kangwon Lee received an ACS Award at the Excellence in Graduate Polymer Research Symposium, 233rd ACS national meeting, Chicago, IL
  • January 2007 Jinsang Kim  received NSF CAREER AWARD
  • Jinsang Kim received the Jon R. and Beverly S. Holt Award 2006 for Excellent in Teaching, CoE, UM
  • 2006 Kangwon Lee received the 2006 CoE Distinguished Achievement Award
  • 2006 Laura Povlich received the 2006 Worth Prize
  • 2006 Laura Povlich received the 2006 Hugh Rumler Prize
  • 2006 Ching-Chin Pun received a Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering