Dayoung Kim

Dr. Dayoung Kim is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering Education within the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech. She also serves as Director of the LABoratory for Innovative and REsponsible ENgineering workforce (LAB-IREEN), where she leads research on engineering practice, workforce development, and engineering ethics.

Dr. Kim's educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in Engineering Education from Purdue University (2022)
• M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University (2021)
• B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea (2017)

Her research focuses on engineering practice and workforce development across various employment settings, including business organizations (e.g., startup companies) and government agencies. She investigates how emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and quantum technologies influence engineering practice and workforce needs. Dr. Kim also examines engineering ethics, social responsibility, and related policy concerns, with the overarching goal of identifying effective strategies to cultivate an innovative and responsible engineering workforce through educational initiatives and science & technology policy. Her work explores critical questions regarding essential engineering competencies, ethical design practices with emerging technologies, and strategies for fostering responsible engineering professionals.

Dr. Kim's recent publications analyze trends in AI ethics policies, engineering students' career interests, and the intersection of lifelong learning with workforce development. Her research employs quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches to address complex questions at the nexus of engineering practice, education, and policy.

Dr. Kim has received numerous honors including:

• Honorable Mention Best Paper Award at IEEE-ETHICS 2023 Conference
• Apprentice Faculty Grant from ASEE's Educational Research and Methods Division (2023)
• +Policy Research Fellowship from Virginia Tech's Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment
• Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship from the National Academies (2022)
• College of Engineering Outstanding Graduate Student Research Award from Purdue University (2022)

Dr. Kim serves as Principal Investigator on multiple significant research grants:

• National Science Foundation grant #2417377: 'Investigating the Impact of Scaffolded Ethics Autobiography on Engineering Identity and Students' Career Interests'
• National Science Foundation grant #2412398: 'Exploring How AI Engineers Perceive and Develop Translational Ethical Competency' (as Co-PI)
• National Science Foundation grant #2321188: 'Building Capacity for Research in Technology-Based Social Entrepreneurship Education for the Next Generation of Engineering Leaders'
• 4-VA grant: 'Fostering Regional Innovation Ecosystem in the State of Virginia'
• ISCE-PDA grant: 'Exploring AI Ethics Policy Concerns and Career Pathways of the AI Professionals'

Dr. Kim leads the LAB-IREEN research group at Virginia Tech, which includes Ph.D. students Bailey McOwen, Emad Ali, and Arsalan Ashraf. The lab's mission is to conduct transformative research that guides the development of an innovative and responsible engineering workforce across diverse areas including technology entrepreneurship, engineering ethics, and the educational implications of emerging technologies.