Dong Jun (DJ) Kim was born in Seoul and spent his growing-up years in Daejeon, a city located in central South Korea. In 2010, he obtained a BS degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Yonsei University. Following his graduation, DJ pursued his Ph.D. studies in Materials Science and Engineering at KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) under the guidance of Professor Jang Wook Choi. He successfully completed his Ph.D. in August 2015. Subsequently, DJ joined the late Professor Sir J. Fraser Stoddart’s group at Northwestern University as a postdoctoral researcher, focusing on the development of novel organic active materials for rechargeable batteries.

In October 2018, DJ started his independent career at the School of Chemistry at UNSW Sydney, where he is currently a Senior Lecturer. His research is driven by a broad question: how can molecular structure, chemical states, and dynamic processes be controlled to direct the movement of matter, charge, and energy? His group takes a problem-driven approach, drawing on different areas of chemistry and materials science to build the capabilities needed to answer each scientific question.