Joo H. Kim ,
Ph.D.

  • Associate Professor

  • Director of PhD Program

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Dr. Joo H. Kim is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at New York University (NYU) and affiliated faculty of NYU’s Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP).  Dr. Kim directs the Applied Dynamics and Optimization Laboratory for the broad areas of dynamics, control, and optimization of mechanical systems.  With applications in robotic and biomechanical systems and their intersections, such as wearable robots, his current research topics include the energetics of dynamic systems, legged balance and gait stability, and integration of dynamics/control with numerical optimization.  Dr. Kim’s research has been sponsored by NSF, NASA, NYU, and industry.  He received a Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering in 2006, and M.S. degrees in mathematics, mechanical engineering, and biomedical engineering, all from the University of Iowa, and a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Korea University, Seoul, South Korea.  Before joining NYU in 2009, he was an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and a Postdoctoral Research Scholar at the Center for Computer-Aided Design at the University of Iowa.  Dr. Kim is a member (elected) of the ASME Mechanisms and Robotics Technical Committee and a Senior Member of IEEE.  His current and past roles as an Associate Editor include the ASME Journal of Mechanical Design, the ASME Journal of Mechanisms and Robotics, and the Conference Editorial Board of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society.  Dr. Kim is the recipient of several awards and honors, including the 2007 Top Government Technology of the Year Award from the State of Iowa, the 2014 Advanced Modeling and Simulation Best Paper Award from the ASME Computers and Information in Engineering Division, the 2015 Freudenstein/General Motors Young Investigator Award from the ASME Design Engineering Division, and the 2020 Associate Editor Award from the ASME Journal of Mechanical Design. 

Research Interests
• Dynamics and Control • Optimization • Robotics • Biomechanical and Biologically Inspired Systems • Energetics of Dynamic Systems • Legged Balance and Gait Stability

Korea University, 1998
Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering

University of Iowa, 2000
Master of Science, Biomedical Engineering

University of Iowa, 2005
Master of Science, Mechanical Engineering

University of Iowa, 2005
Master of Science, Mathematics

University of Iowa, 2006
Doctor of Philosophy, Mechanical Engineering


New York University, September 2015 to present
Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

New York University, January 2023 to present
Associate Professor (Affiliated), Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP)

New York University, August 2009 to August 2015
Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

University of Iowa, July 2008 to July 2009
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering

University of Iowa, August 2006 to July 2009
Postdoctoral Research Scholar, Center for Computer-Aided Design


Please see the publication list in the Applied Dynamics and Optimization Laboratory website or Google Scholar webpage.


• 2020 Associate Editor Award, ASME Journal of Mechanical Design

• Senior Member (since 2020), IEEE

• 2019 NYU School of Engineering Service Award

• 2015 Freudenstein / General Motors Young Investigator Award, ASME Design Engineering Division

• 2014 NYU School of Engineering Service Award

• 2014 Advanced Modeling and Simulation Best Paper Award, ASME Computers and Information in Engineering Division

• Certificate of Appreciation for outstanding service, ASME 2012 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, ASME Design Engineering Division

• 2007 Prometheus Awards Top Government Technology of the Year, The Technology Association of Iowa, State of Iowa