Kim is a member of the Industrial Systems and Fuels Group in the Strategic Energy Analysis Center. She provides technical leadership to multidisciplinary teams that offer independent and objective analyses and planning support for the U.S. Department of Energy's Bioenergy Technologies Office, and other programs. Her work mostly entails project technical validation and verification across diverse areas of bioenergy and sustainability-enabling biotechnology research.

Research Interests

Microbial bioenergy and biotechnology

Microbial conversion to biofuels and bioproducts

Genetics and metabolic engineering

Education

Ph.D., Molecular Biology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

B.A., Biology, Bowdoin College

Professional Experience

Associate Scientist, Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison (2018–2020)

Assistant Scientist, Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison (2014–2018)

Postdoctoral Research Associate, Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison (2009–2014)

Postdoctoral Researcher, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (2008)

Adjunct Faculty, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines (2021)

Featured Work

A Majority of Rhodobacter Sphaeroides Promoters Lack a Crucial RNA Polymerase Recognition Feature, Enabling Coordinated Transcription Activation, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (2020)

Genome-Wide Identification of Transcription Start Sites in Two Alphaproteobacteria, Rhodobacter Sphaeroides 2.4.1 and Novosphingobium Aromaticivorans DSM 12444, Microbiology Resource Announcements (2020)

The NtrYX Two-Component System Regulates the Bacterial Cell Envelope, mBio (2020)

Mutations That Alter the Bacterial Cell Envelope Increase Lipid Production, mBio (2017)

Oxygen-Dependent Regulation of Bacterial Lipid Production, Journal of Bacteriology (2015)

A Rhodobacter Sphaeroides Protein Mechanistically Similar to Escherichia Coli DksA Regulates Photosynthetic Growth, mBio (2014)

Patents

Oleaginous Microorganisms and Uses of Same, U.S. Patent No. 1100857 (2021)

Awards and Honors

United States Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) Postdoctoral Fellowship (2011–2013)

National Science Foundation (NSF) Pre-Doctoral Fellowship (2004–2007)

Surdna Foundation Undergraduate Research Fellowship (1998)