About

My research bridges urban planning, environmental justice, and climate resilience with cutting-edge data science and AI technologies to address pressing challenges in urban areas. Focusing on smart city resilience, my research investigates how environmental health, climate change adaptation, and urban data science intersect to improve public safety and disaster response in communities. Through projects like the Austin Digital Twin and Emergency Medical Service (EMS) response prediction, I aim to provide actionable insights for improving climate resilience and equitable access to essential services. My work has been published in top academic journals such as Sustainable Cities and Society, Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science, and the Journal of Planning Literature, and presented at both national and international conferences. I am particularly interested in how technologies, such as AI and IoT sensors, can support climate adaptation and resilience strategies for vulnerable populations.

I have served as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Urban Information Lab at The University of Texas at Austin, where I lead and contribute to research projects focused on urban data science and climate resilience, including AI-driven solutions for heat vulnerability and EMS response strategies. I have collaborated with a range of academic fields, including geoscience, environmental engineering, data science, civil engineering, social science, computer science, and economics, as well as industry partners and government organizations, such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the City of Austin, Austin-Travis EMS, and Tackle Hunger Food Charity. I hold a Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Sciences from Texas A&M University, and I am an American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) certified professional.

Research Interests

Smart City Resilience, Environmental Justice, Environmental Health, Urban Data Science, Disaster Resilience, Climate Change Adaptation, Ethical AI

Work Experience

2024 -Postdoctoral Researcher/ Senior Research Fellow in Smart Cities
Urban Information Lab, UT Austin
2022 - 2024Postdoctoral Researcher
Urban Information Lab, UT Austin
2021 Lecturer
Dept. of Landscape Arch. & Urban Planning, TAMU
2021 Researcher Fellow
Hazard Reduction & Recovery Center, TAMU
2018 Instructor of Record
Dept. of Landscape Arch. & Urban Planning, TAMU
2017 - 2021Graduate Research Assistant
Dept. of Landscape Arch. & Urban Planning, TAMU
2015 - 2016Graduate Teaching Assistant
Dept. of Landscape Arch. & Urban Planning, TAMU

Service

Academic Service

• Reviewer for journals:
  • Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science (EPB)
  • The 1st International Symposium on Trustworthy Autonomous Systems (TAS ’23)
  • The 2nd International Symposium on Trustworthy Autonomous Systems (TAS ’24)
  • Computers, Environment and Urban Systems (CEUS)
  • International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH)
  • Journal of Planning Literature (JPL)
  • International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction (IJDRR)
  • Journal of Planning Education and Research (JPER)

Professional Service

• Program Coordinator, Smart Cities and AI Innovations Symposium 2024, UT Austin, Austin, TX, 2024.
• Program Coordinator, Smart Cities and Generative AI Symposium 2023, UT Austin, Austin, TX, 2023.
• Council Liaison, A Good System for Smart Cities Advisory Group, UT Austin, Austin, TX, 2023 - Present.
• Program Organizer and Moderator, Good Systems Smart Cities Talk Series, UT Austin, Austin, TX, 2022 - 2023.
• Student Chair, LAUP Korean Student Association, Dept. of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 2016-2017.
• Dean’s Ambassador, School of Architecture, UT Austin, Austin, TX, 2014-2015.