Harrison Kim is an award-winning educator, researcher, and designer in systems design engineering, analytics, and energy and environmental sustainability. He is a Professor in the Department of Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and the Co-Director of the Hoeft Techonology and Management (T&M) program. He also holds appointments with the Beckman Institute, Carle Illinois College of Medicine, and the Computational Science and Engineering Program at the University of Illinois.

Prof. Kim’s research ($15M to date 2024) focuses on a variety of areas of systems design engineering - energy systems engineering; AI-based sustainable product design; environmental life cycle analysis and costing; renewable energy and vehicle electrification; multidisciplinary, multilevel optimization; green product portfolio design. Application areas are automotive, consumer electronics, heavy-duty equipment, national security, commercial/military system of systems, and information technology. Research sponsors and collaborators include the National Science Foundation (NSF), US Department of Energy (DOE), DOE REMADE Institute, Sandia National Labs (SNL), Caterpillar Inc., Deere and Co., National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), Brunswick, and Hyundai Motor Company.

Dr. Kim has received numerous recognitions including the National Science Foundation's CAREER Award, Dean’s Award in Excellence in Research (formerly Xerox Award; Associate Professors with highest research accomplishments for the last five years), Best Paper Award in ASME Design for Manufacturing and Life Cycle Conference, Franklin Sharp Teaching Award, Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in national design competitions (Lincoln Arc Welding Award as a faculty advisor), and news media coverage in the USA Today and the Chicago Tribune.

Harrison Kim received his Ph.D. degree at the University of Michigan in 2001 in the area of Design Engineering and Optimization in Mechanical Engineering under the supervision of Prof. Panos Papalambros. He joined the University of Illinois in 2005 after postdoctoral training under Prof. Wei Chen (NAE Member) at Northwestern University and has been leading the Enterprise Systems Optimization Lab. Prior to joining Illinois, he held positions in research and consulting -- the US Army Automotive Research Center, Northwestern University, and a Business-IT consulting company.

Areas of Interest

Professor Kim's research interests are in a variety of areas of design engineering and optimization utilizing mathematical programming, simulation, data mining, and informatics. Particularly his research has been concerned with (1) complex engineering system design and optimization, (2) data-driven product portfolio design, and (3) energy systems engineering. His research approach is based on mathematical programming and optimization including his original contribution to the analytical target cascading. He publishes actively in research societies -- ASME, AIAA, Design Society. He teaches systems related courses - Optimal System Design (Product Design and Development), Design for Six Sigma, Mechanism Design, Senior Capstone Project Design, and Hoeft T&M Capstone Course.

• Design engineering and optimization for complex systems
• Energy systems engineering: renewable energy, vehicle electrification, resilience
• Green, sustainable product design, manufacturing and remanufacturing
• AI-based sustainable product design
• Design for environment, life cycle design

Contact Information

Office: 315 Transportation Building
Mailing Address:
117 Transportation Building MC-238
104 S. Mathews Ave.
Urbana IL 61801
Phone: (217) 265-9437
Email: hmkim at illinois.edu

Education and Training

• B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 1995
• M.S. Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 1997
• Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2001
  (Advisor: Panos Papalambros (ME), Committee: John Birge (IOE), Huei Peng (ME), Tao Jiang (Ford), Nestor Michelena (ME))
• Postdoctoral Research Associate, Northwestern University, 2003-2004
  (Advisor: Wei Chen (NAE Member))

Teaching Honors

• List of Teachers Ranked Excellent (Fall 2022)
• List of Teachers Ranked Excellent (Spring 2020)
• List of Teachers Ranked Excellent (Spring 2019)
• List of Teachers Ranked Excellent (Fall 2018)
• List of Teachers Ranked Excellent (Spring 2017)
• Lincoln Arc Welding Award (National Design Competition): Silver Medal (faculty advisor of student group 2014)
• List of Teachers Ranked Excellent (Spring 2014)
• Lincoln Arc Welding Award (National Design Competition): Bronze Medal (faculty advisor of student group 2013)
• J. Franklin Sharp Teaching Award 2013
• List of Teachers Ranked Excellent (Spring 2012)
• Lincoln Arc Welding Award (National Design Competition): Gold Medal (faculty advisor of student group 2011)
• Engineering Council Award for Excellence in Advising 2011
• Lincoln Arc Welding Award (National Design Competition): Gold Medal (faculty advisor of student group 2010)
• List of Teachers Ranked Excellent (Spring 2008)
• List of Teachers Ranked Excellent (Fall 2007)
• List of Teachers Ranked Excellent (Spring 2007)
• List of Teachers Ranked Excellent (Fall 2006)
• List of Teachers Ranked Excellent (Spring 2006)
• Lincoln Arc Welding Award (National Design Competition): Silver Medal (faculty advisor of student group 2005)

Research Honors

• Kos Ishii - Toshiba Award in Design for Manufacturing and Life Cycle ASME 2019
• Reviewers’ Choice Award, International Conference on Engineering Design (ICED 2019) – Top 10% among more than 400 papers accepted.
• Donald Biggar Willett Faculty Scholar 2015, College of Engineering, University of Illinois
• Dean's Award in Excellence in Research 2014 (formerly Xerox Award; Associate Professors with highest research accomplishments for the last five years)
• Reviewers’ Choice Award, International Conference on Engineering Design (ICED 2013) – Top 10% among 345 papers accepted.
• NSF CAREER Award 2010
• Finalist for the best paper award in the triennial Conference on Stochastic Programming, 2010 (as a faculty advisor)
• NSF research outcome was selected by the program director as "NSF research highlights" 2010
• USA Today noted Kim's research story as USA Today Recounts Top Scientific Stories Of 2009
• Chicago Tribune highlighted Kim's research on Dec. 28, 2009 in a story: Illinois assistant professor: Consider cell phones' fate when designing them
• Best paper award in 2009 ASME Design for Manufacturing and Life Cycle conference
• NSF Engineering Design Workshop Series invitation, U of Michigan, Nov 2008, Northwestern U., Apr 2009, Stanford U., Sept. 2009, Northwestern U., Apr 2010
• AIAA Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (MDO) Technical Committee (TC) Member since 2009: One of 40 members in MDO TC, which steers and disseminates intellectual contents related to MDO.
• Finalist for the best student paper competition in the 11th AIAA/ISSMO MAO Conference, Sept., 2006 (as a faculty advisor, co-author)

Public Service Honors

• Associate Editor, Transactions of ASME: Journal of Mechanical Design (2013-2019)
• Department Editor, IISE Transactions: Design and Manufacturing (2017-Present)
• Associate Editor, asmejmd.org (2013-2017)
• Member of the Editorial Advisory Board, Engineering Optimization Journal, (2013-Present)