Sangjin Kim

Sangjin Kim is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Illinois, focusing on biomedical and translational sciences. After earning a B.S. in chemistry from Seoul National University and a Ph.D. from Harvard University under Sunney Xie, Kim conducted postdoctoral research in microbiology at Yale University under Christine Jacobs-Wagner. Their work combines single-molecule biophysics, microbiology, and computational modeling to study cellular complexity at the single-molecule and single-cell levels.

• Education:
  • B.S., Chemistry, Seoul National University
  • Ph.D., Harvard University (2010), thesis on single-molecule biophysics

Research Interests: Kim investigates physical principles governing molecular interactions in cells, particularly how gene expression machinery operates collectively. Key areas include DNA supercoiling, mRNA degradation, transcription-translation coordination, and bacterial cellular organization. Their lab develops interdisciplinary methodologies integrating molecular biology, optics, and computational analysis.

Article Trends: Kim’s publications highlight single-molecule imaging, gene regulatory mechanisms, and bacterial systems biology, with a focus on Escherichia coli. Research spans DNA mechanics, RNA dynamics, and intracellular organization, often using hybrid experimental-computational approaches.

• Scientific Awards:
  • NIH Maximizing Investigators' Research Award (2021)
  • Searle Scholar, Kinship Foundation (2020)
  • Kavli Fellow, National Academy of Sciences (2022)
  • University of Illinois CAS Fellow (2022-2023)

Teaching: Kim has taught courses in physics, including College Physics: Mechanics & Heat (PHYS 101), University Physics: Mechanics (PHYS 211), University Physics: Electricity & Magnetism (PHYS 212), Experimental Biophysics (PHYS 407), and Special Topics in Physics (PHYS 498 EBP).

Labs & Teams: The Kim Lab at UIUC focuses on solving many-body problems in biology at the single-molecule level, seeking energetic and curious graduate students and postdocs with backgrounds in physics, chemistry, or biology.