Sohae Kim
S_Kim @ mit . edu
About
- Ph.D. candidate, Department of Mechanical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 2011 ~ present
- M.S., Department of Mechanical Engineering at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 2009~2011
- B.S., Department of Mechanical Engineering at KAIST, South Korea, 2005~2009
Research Interests
When two different bodies, spaces or phases meet each other and form an interface, the interface can show interesting phenomena and properties. The study of interfaces has been a common theme throughout all my research experiences.
I am currently interested in the study of transition metal oxide interfaces with silicon or other oxide materials. When the oxide forms an interface with silicon or other oxide materials, the interface can exhibit properties that are completely different from bulk materials. In other words, interface phases can be distinct from bulk phases. For example, the oxide interfaces can be quasi-two‐dimensionally conductive and can be integrated to design more efficient electronic devices or solar energy conversion materials. By using the density functional theory (DFT) calculations, I want to explore these oxide interfaces and design efficient solar energy conversion materials.
I have previously studied interfacial thermal transport via equilibrium molecular dynamics using Large-scale Atomic/Molecular Massively Parallel Simulator (LAMMPS). I have also studied the interaction between flow and flexible structures using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code written in Fortran.
Personal Interests
I love to eat delicious food. Although I love any good food from worldwide, as a Korean in Boston, I would recommend Korean-style fried chicken, Korean-Chinese-style noodles and soulongtang, not just bibimbap and bulgogi. I am an avid runner and have run B.A.A. 5K and 10K marathons. I am not good at playing with a ball, though. Learning ceramics has been of my recent interest. Wheel throwing helps me focus on the present moment, which is a kind of similar to meditation. I also volunteer to teach a free Korean language class at MIT offered by the MIT Korean Graduate Student Association.
Current Project
Photovoltaics, Photocatalysts
My current projects’ goals are to study the electronic band structures, transport properties, and electrochemical reaction activity of the oxide interface in order to design efficient solar water splitting materials. The scheme can also be applied to other solar energy conversion materials.