Karl Kim

Professor Karl Kim holds a faculty position in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa. He also holds appointments in the Center for Korean Studies and the School of Architecture. His research focuses on disaster risk reduction, resilience planning, transportation safety, and environmental management. Dr. Kim has secured over $67 million in research and training grants from federal, state, and international agencies.

He received his Ph.D. in Urban Studies and Planning from MIT and an A.B. in Demography from Brown University, where he was awarded the Samuel C. Lamport Prize in Economics and Sociology. His work includes leadership roles such as Editor-in-Chief of Transportation Research: Interdisciplinary Perspectives and former Editor-in-Chief of Accident Analysis & Prevention.

Key research interests include disaster management strategies, community resilience, and transportation infrastructure resilience. His recent articles explore island supply chain resilience, ASEAN urban disaster risks, and volcanic disruption impacts on infrastructure. He has developed training programs like the National Disaster Preparedness Training Center funded by FEMA.

Dr. Kim’s awards include the BBC Media Action Award for “Tsunami Preparedness” and the PriMO Leadership Award. He has served as Chairman of the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium and on committees of the Transportation Research Board. Current projects include the HI-DRAW Project evaluating disaster recovery efforts and Building Resilience Through Training for Indonesia.