About Hyunwoo (CV, Google Scholar)
I am a doctoral student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I currently work as a graduate research assistant at MIT Soft Active Materials laboratory in the department of mechanical engineering under the supervision of prof. Xuanhe Zhao. My research coverage spans widely ranging from soft material mechanics to 3D printing of soft materials. 

Degree &
​Education
Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering                                                                                                                                                                        Jun 2016 - Present
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
MIT Soft Active Materials Laboratory (Advisor: Prof. Xuanhe Zhao)

M.S. in Mechanical Engineering​                                                                                                                                                                        Sep 2014 - Jun 2016
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
MIT Soft Active Materials Laboratory (Advisor: Prof. Xuanhe Zhao)
(Thesis title: Tough Wet Adhesion of Hydrogel on Various Materials - Mechanism and Application)

B.S. in Mechanical Engineering​                                                                                                                                                                        Feb 2007 - Feb 2014
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Korea
Graduation with Summa Cum Laude
(Note: military service during June 2011 to June 2013)

Awards &
Honors
  • Peebles Award, The Adhesion Society, 2019​
  • Forbes 30 Under 30 2019: Science, Forbes, 2018
  • Face of the Year, Samsung Scholarship, 2018
  • MRS Graduate Student Award, Materials Research Society, 2018
  • Samsung Scholarship, Samsung Foundation of Culture, 2015
  • Summa Cum Laude, KAIST, 2014
  • Samsung Scholarship, Samsung Foundation of Culture, 2013
  • Outstanding Achievement Cum Laude Award,  Department of Mechanical Engineering, KAIST, 2010
  • Outstanding Achievement Cum Laude Award,  Department of Mechanical Engineering, KAIST, 2009
  • Korean Govermental Scholarship, 2007 - 2010

Research Experience
Graduate Research Assistant                                                                                                                                                                                Sep 2014 - Present
MIT Soft Active Materials Laboratory, MIT, Cambridge, USA (PI: Prof. Xuanhe Zhao)
  • Tough wet adhesion of hydrogels​
  • 3D printing of advanced soft materials
  • Hydrogels for bioelectronics
  • ​Soft active materials and robots​

Undergraduate Researcher                                                                                                                                                                                  Jun 2009 - Apr 2011
Neuro-Machine Augmented Intelligence Laboratory, KAIST, Daejeon, Korea (PI: Prof. Sungho Jo)
Soft Biomechanics & Biomaterials Laboratory, KAIST, Daejeon, Korea (PI: Prof. Jennifer H. Shin)
  • Development of C.elegans inspired small crawling robots

Undergraduate Research Program (URP)                                                                                                                                                  Dec 2009 - May 2010
Mechatronics, Systems and Control Laboratory, KAIST, Daejeon, Korea (PI: Prof. Kyungsoo Kim)
  • Dynamic analysis and computational simulation on rotating mass control (RMC) for floating body stabilization amid at mobile harbor applications

Selected Media Coverage