Melissa Pappas
Dohyung Kim, Assistant Professor in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, has been named a 2025 Packard Fellow for Science and Engineering by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. The Fellowship, one of the nation’s most prestigious awards for early-career researchers, provides $875,000 over five years to support pioneering work in science and engineering. Established in 1988, the Packard Fellowships encourage bold, high-impact research by providing flexible funding that allows recipients to pursue novel and unconventional ideas.
At Penn Engineering, Kim leads the Kim Laboratory of Electrochemistry and Interfaces at the Nanoscale (KLEIN), where his team investigates how chemical reactions occur on the surfaces of solid catalysts — materials that drive processes central to energy production, fuel generation and chemical manufacturing. By developing advanced tools and methods to map reactivity at the atomic level, Kim’s research seeks to uncover fundamental knowledge that will enable the design of next-generation catalysts for clean energy and sustainable chemical transformations.
“My research focuses on understanding how solid catalysts actually work at their surfaces by studying the tiny reactive sites that drive chemical reactions,” says Kim. “By learning how these sites interact and shape overall performance, we can design better catalysts that make essential processes, from energy conversion to chemical manufacturing, more efficient and effective.”
Kim joins a distinguished community of Packard Fellows whose discoveries have transformed science and engineering across disciplines. His selection reflects the growing recognition of Penn Engineering’s leadership in advancing fundamental research for a more sustainable future.
“The Packard Fellowship encourages researchers to think boldly and take risks,” adds Kim. “It’s a rare opportunity to explore transformative ideas that could redefine how we produce the energy, fuels and materials that sustain our daily lives. I’m truly honored to have received this award and to stand amongst this year’s cohort of Packard Fellows.”
Read more about the Packard Foundation Fellowship and view the full list of recipients in their press release.