We welcome inquiries from motivated students and researchers interested in radio astronomy, observational cosmology, and instrumentation. This page outlines the group's research environment, expectations, and how to get in touch.

Before You Contact Us

• Please send a short introduction, your current affiliation, a CV, and a brief description of your research interests and relevant background to Professor Kim. Students should also include an unofficial transcript.

Research Environment

• Our group values careful thinking, conceptual clarity, and active engagement with scientific questions. Research projects are often open-ended, and students are expected to participate not only in execution but also in shaping problem definitions and research directions.

• Prospective members should be comfortable working with uncertainty and willing to examine assumptions behind data, models, and instruments. While students develop strong technical and computational skills, these are always used in service of understanding the underlying physical questions rather than as goals in themselves.

• If you strongly prefer highly structured tasks with predefined procedures, rapid short-term outcomes, or primarily technical training without deeper scientific interpretation, this research environment may not be the best fit.

Undergraduates

(While exceptions may occasionally be made, the following guidelines describe the typical expectations for undergraduate research.)

• Undergraduate research is intended for students who are ready to engage seriously with a sustained research project. Typical participants are juniors or seniors who have completed one of Professor Kim's astronomy courses (e.g., PH481 Astrophysics, PH489 Special Topics in Physics: Radio Astronomy) and are interested in observational cosmology, radio astronomy, instrumentation, or data analysis.

• For students interested in astronomy or astrophysics who wish to simply explore the field rather than engage in intensive research aimed at productive outcomes, we encourage them to explore core concepts and emerging topics in astronomy and astrophysics through curated references and tutorials, building a strong foundation for future coursework or research. For example:

  • K-MOOC 천문학이야기

  • Coursera

  • Astropy Tutorial

  • Astrobites

• Research options: Individual or graduation research projects may be pursued in connection with a URP (Undergraduate Research Program) application. These projects can begin before or continue after the formal URP period. Students are expected to discuss potential topics with Professor Kim in detail prior to applying.

• Capacity: To ensure close mentorship, Professor Kim will supervise no more than one URP application per semester and at most three students across individual, graduation, or URP research at any given time.

PhD Students

• The KAIST Department of Physics accepts graduate applications twice a year (Spring and Fall) through the KAIST graduate studies admissions process (domestic, international). Our group typically welcomes students after they have received official admission to KAIST, but prospective PhD applicants are encouraged to contact Professor Kim in advance if they are interested in pursuing research with us.

• While not required, we strongly encourage prospective graduate students to engage with the group as undergraduates beforehand through exploratory projects. This helps students gain familiarity with potential research directions and assess their fit within the group.

Postdocs

• Postdoctoral opportunities may occasionally be available, depending on project needs and funding availability.

• If you are interested in applying for independent fellowships and would like to make KAIST your host institution (e.g., the NRF Fellowship), please reach out to Professor Kim. KAIST also offers the Jang Young Sil Fellow Program, which provides a competitive salary and research grant, and Professor Kim is open to sponsoring suitable candidates.