Rate My Professor Joo H. Kim

Joo H. Kim is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at New York University Tandon School of Engineering. He directs the Applied Dynamics and Optimization Laboratory, with research centered on dynamics, control, and optimization of mechanical systems applied to robotics and biomechanical systems. Current topics include energetics of dynamic systems, legged balance and gait stability, and integration of dynamics and control with numerical optimization and machine learning or AI. Kim earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering in 2006, M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Mathematics in 2005, and M.S. in Biomedical Engineering in 2000, all from the University of Iowa, along with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1998 from Korea University in Seoul, South Korea. His research has received sponsorship from NSF, NASA, NYU, industry partners, and international collaborators.

Kim joined NYU in 2009 as Assistant Professor, advancing to Associate Professor in 2015. Previously, he was a Postdoctoral Research Scholar and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Center for Computer-Aided Design at the University of Iowa from 2006 to 2009. He serves as core faculty in the NYU Center for Robotics and Embodied Intelligence since December 2025, affiliated faculty in the Center for Urban Science and Progress since January 2023, and the NYU-KAIST Global Innovation and Research Institute since October 2023. Additionally, he is associated faculty in NYU Steinhardt's Department of Physical Therapy since 2011. Kim's honors include election as Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 2025, Freudenstein/General Motors Young Investigator Award from ASME Design Engineering Division in 2015, Advanced Modeling and Simulation Best Paper Award from ASME Computers and Information in Engineering Division in 2014, Associate Editor Award for ASME Journal of Mechanical Design in 2020, Senior Member of IEEE in 2020, and multiple NYU School of Engineering Service Awards in 2014, 2019, and 2024. He holds editorial roles as Associate Editor for ASME Journal of Mechanical Design and ASME Journal of Mechanisms and Robotics, and serves on the Conference Editorial Board of IEEE Robotics and Automation Society. Notable publications include 'Predictive dynamics: an optimization-based novel approach for human motion simulation' (Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization, 2010), 'Quantifying dynamic characteristics of human walking for comprehensive gait cycle' (Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, 2013), and 'A new digital human environment and assessment of vehicle interior design' (Computer-Aided Design, 2007). His work advances theories and models for stability, energetics, and interactions in legged systems, human-robot gait comparisons, metabolic energy prediction, and energy-efficient robotics.