Institut Sel Fuel

 Masa Depan Tenaga

Visiting Professor

 

IMG_0801Professor Kim obtained his first degree in agricultural chemistry from Kyungbuk National University, Korea and PhD degree in microbiology from Cardiff University, UK under the supervision of Professor Julian Wimpenny. He had 2 years of postdoctoral experience with Professor Greg Zeikus at Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin Madison. He worked at Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) for 35 year before retired in 2006. During he worked at KIST he had sabbatical leaves to work at Kyoto University (1990), Oxford University and (1995), Cardiff University (2000). After he retired from KIST, he taught microbiology at School of Biological Science, Korea University for 3 years, and consulted University of Southern California (2006), Malaysia Nuclear Agency (2009) and National University of Ireland Galway (2010). At present he gives courses and supervises postgraduate students at School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, China as a Contract Professor.

 

He served Korean Society for Microbiology and Biotechnology as Editor-in-Chief and President, and Korean Society for Microbiology as Editor-in-Chief.

 

He has published over 150 peer reviewed papers in addition to review papers and book chapters. He has written textbooks, Microbial Physiology (in Korean) and Bacterial Physiology and Metabolism (2008, in English, Cambridge University Press with Professor Geoff Gadd).

 

His main research inte

rests include bacterial physiology, anaerobic bacteriology and bio-electrochemistry. His working experience includes cellulolytic enzymes, acetone-butanol fermentation, electron metabolisms in sulphate-reducing bacteria, homoacetogenic carbon monoxide conversion to multi-carbon compounds and microbial fuel cell (MFC). He has developed a petroleum desulphurization process using a strain of sulphate reducing bacteria. He has pioneered microbial fuel cell research showing electrochemical activity in a Fe(III)- reducing bacterium, Shewanella putrefaciens. He developed MFCs as a biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) sensor that is commercially available throughout the world.

 

He has been honoured by Korean Government with Presidential Award (1997) and Medal, Third Class in science and technology (2006) and received various awards including Jangyoungsil Award for the Best Invention of the Year (Joongang Daily Newspaper, 2002), Academic Award (Korean Society for Microbiology and Biotechnology, 2003) and Chungmoogong Award for the Best Patent of the Year (Office of Intellectual Properties, 2003).