Byungjin (Andy) Kim - PhD profile

Can you tell us a little about yourself and where you’re coming from, both academically and geographically?

Hi! I’m Byungjin Kim from South Korea. You can also call me Andy! I started my academic path in engineering at Pusan National University, where I worked on liquid metal-based wearable sensors. After that, I moved to the University of California, San Diego for my Master’s in NanoEngineering, focusing on multimodal sensing platforms for wearable health monitoring 

Before starting my PhD, I spent a few years as a full-time researcher at Pusan National University Hospital’s Medical Research Institute. My background is a bit non-traditional. My major, which is civil engineering, looks quite far from Biomedical engineering. I’ve also served in the military and spent several years as a professional musician, which has shaped how I approach both technical challenges and collaboration.

What motivated you to pursue a PhD, and what drew you specifically to Endotrain as a doctoral network?

What motivated me to pursue a PhD is a strong desire to help remote healthcare technologies reach the real world faster. Having experienced research and industry perspectives in both Korea and the US, I became increasingly curious about how Europe approaches the same challenges and what direction it is taking.

I also realized that making remote healthcare truly work requires deep collaboration across many disciplines. That is why I was strongly drawn to Endotrain. Being part of an international doctoral network gives me the chance to grow by working with people from different backgrounds and fields, while also expanding my opportunities through a globally recognized program. And of course, becoming a Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellow is something I find genuinely exciting.

Where will you be based during your PhD, and what are you most looking forward to about living and working there?

I will be based at Imperial College London in the United Kingdom. What I’m most looking forward to is working in such a vibrant research environment, surrounded by people from many different backgrounds and disciplines.

I’m also excited about living in London itself — the energy of the city, the international atmosphere, and the chance to experience daily life in a place that feels very different from both Korea and the US. It feels like a natural next step after having already lived and worked in Asia and North America.

At this very early stage, how would you describe your PhD project in broad, non‑technical terms?

Simply, my project is about developing wearable sensors that can continuously monitor important chemical signals in the body related to health and hormones. Well, bigger goal will be the remote healthcare. So that people can have healthcare services without going to hospitals or clinics

During your PhD, what specific skills, methods, or areas of expertise are you most looking forward to learning?

During my PhD, I’m looking forward to deepening my expertise in electrochemistry and data analysis for continuous sensing. I also want to develop higher-level networking skills by working with researchers from different fields and countries.

Beyond the technical side, I’m keen to learn about the clinical needs, policy landscape, and practical product design realities that surround this technology. I hope to grow into someone who understands how research can move from the lab toward real healthcare applications.

What are you most looking forward to about learning and working within an international doctoral network like Endotrain?

I already know how much communication is needed for a technology to gain credibility and actually reach the public. Right now, most of what I know is still very technology-focused, and even that is limited to my own field. That is why I am looking forward to broadening my perspective through this network.

I am also genuinely curious about the individual stories and experiences of the people who joined this program. I want to hear how they arrived here, what drives them, and grow together with them along the way!

What do you enjoy doing outside of work that helps you relax and recharge after a long day of research?

Outside of research, weight training is my main way to reset after long days in the lab, and I also enjoy traveling whenever I can. When I was in the US, watching baseball was one of my favorite ways to unwind during my Master’s, so now that I’m moving to the UK I’m already curious about what new hobbies I’ll pick up there. I still play the piano from time to time, but these days it’s mostly about lifting, traveling, and finding my next way to recharge.

As you begin your Endotrain journey, what are you most curious or enthusiastic about right now?

What I’m most excited about right now is the chance to have completely new experiences in a new environment. But beyond that, what I look forward to even more is being part of a large program like the MSCA Doctoral Network. 

I’m curious to see how this experience will shape and expand the future I imagine for myself as an engineer, and how I will grow through it!