Team
Research team
Four researchers across structural engineering, construction materials, and chemical engineering, together with three global collaborators, carry out the work through interdisciplinary collaboration.
Co-investigators
Principal investigator and co-investigators
Composition: structural engineering 2, construction materials 1, chemical engineering 1 (two early-career investigators).
- Won-Chang Choi Principal Investigator (PI)
Professor, School of Architecture, Gachon University
FieldArchitectural and structural materials
- 30+ papers (last 5 yrs)
- Minister's commendation (2017)
- Biochar carbon-sequestering cement patent
- Served as society director
Ph.D., North Carolina State University (2006). Researches the development and application of high-performance construction materials and structural maintenance, repair, and strengthening. Served as principal investigator of 'Carbon-sequestration technology for wood-based biochar cement composites' (2020-2023, NRF) and co-principal investigator of 'Corrosion-zero carbon-polymer rebar replacement technology' (2021-2025, MOLIT). Served as a director of the Korea Institute for Structural Maintenance and Inspection and the Korea Concrete Institute, and received a Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport commendation (2017). Holds a patent application, 'Carbon-sequestering cement containing biochar and cement composite composition' (2023).
- Soo-Yeon Seo Co-Investigator
Professor, School of Architecture, Korea National University of Transportation
FieldStructural engineering (RC, composite and precast structures, maintenance, sensing and monitoring)
- 64 international papers
- 109 domestic papers
- 40+ registered patents
- 5 technology transfers
- KCI Structural Code Committee chair
Ph.D., Hanyang University (1995). Researches reinforced concrete, composite and precast structures, structural maintenance and strengthening, and sensing and monitoring of structural members. Published 64 international and 109 domestic journal papers, with about 40 registered patents and 5 technology transfers. Served as chair of the Structural Code Committee of the Korea Concrete Institute. Representative patents include a strain-sensing composite concrete and an optical sensor module for reinforcement.
- Seung-Wook Seok Co-Investigator (early-career)
Assistant Professor, School of Architecture, Gachon University
FieldConcrete material models, rebar-concrete interface, finite-element contact mechanics
- 18 international papers
- Ph.D., Purdue
- NASA habitat postdoc
Ph.D., Purdue University (2019), on modeling reinforced-concrete bond behavior. Conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Connecticut on structural modeling of NASA extraterrestrial habitats. Researches concrete material models, load mechanisms at the rebar-concrete interface, and finite-element contact mechanics, with 18 international journal papers.
- Chan Ho Park Co-Investigator (early-career)
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Chemical, Biological and Battery Engineering, Gachon University
FieldCarbon particles and hybrid materials, functional polymer synthesis, real-time sensing via particle surface modification
- 28 international papers
- 4 patents
- 3-yr Stanford postdoc
- Journal guest editor
Ph.D., KAIST (2019), with three years of postdoctoral research at Stanford University. Researches carbon particles and hybrid materials, functional polymer synthesis, and real-time sensing via particle surface modification, with 28 international journal papers and 4 patents. Serves as the contact for this research laboratory.
Global collaborators
International research network
- Kin Liao Global collaborator
International collaboration (Korea-UAE)
Nanocomposite lightweighting and applications
Leads nanocomposite lightweighting and applications, and Korea-UAE joint research and commercialization.
- Toheed Akhtar Global collaborator (in-country invited)
Gachon University
Graphene-based porous composites, scale-up processes
Leads production technology for graphene-based porous composites and the design of scale-up processes for polymers and graphene.
- Donghyun Kim Global collaborator
College of Semiconductor, Gachon University (shared computing servers)
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
Leads co-design and optimization of chemical processes through computational fluid dynamics (CFD).
Researchers and students
Researchers and student researchers
Current-year participation scale: 3 doctoral, 11 master’s, 5 undergraduate, and 2 others (about 30 people in total). The individual roster is being completed (DRAFT); roles and affiliations will be updated once confirmed.
English names are best-effort romanizations and may be corrected later.
Architecture / structures / materials
- Seungbeom Kang Doctoral researcher (role to be confirmed)
- Jinseok Woo Graduate researcher (role to be confirmed)
- Jaeyong Jeong Graduate researcher (role to be confirmed)
- Jinhee Lee Graduate researcher (role to be confirmed)
- Minji Son Graduate researcher (role to be confirmed)
- Namgu Yeo Graduate researcher (role to be confirmed)
- Namhyun Kim Graduate researcher (role to be confirmed)
- Mingyu Han Graduate researcher (role to be confirmed)
- Geonwoo Jeong Graduate researcher (role to be confirmed)
- Aehwa Kim Graduate researcher (role to be confirmed)
- (slot to be filled) Participant (to be confirmed)
- (slot to be filled) Participant (to be confirmed)
Chemical / materials
- Minkyeong Pyo Graduate researcher (role to be confirmed)
- Seongmo Choi Graduate researcher (role to be confirmed)
- Giseong Kim Graduate researcher (role to be confirmed)
- Gwanghun Choi Graduate researcher (role to be confirmed)
- Kainat Graduate researcher (role to be confirmed)
- (slot to be filled) Participant (to be confirmed)
- (slot to be filled) Participant (to be confirmed)