An internationally recognized chemical engineer for his work on microhydrodynamics, computational drug discovery, Sangtae Kim will be joining the William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the Cullen College of Engineering as a professor for the 2026–27 academic year.
Kim is a member of the National Academy of Engineering since 2001, and he is also a fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE).
“I am excited about joining Cullen and the University of Houston to contribute to the many opportunities at the intersection of chemical and biomolecular engineering with biomedical sciences and technology,” he said.
For more than two decades, Kim was part of the faculty at Purdue University, rising to the leader of the Davidson School of Chemical Engineering in 2016. He started in academia at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1983, held VP-level executive positions as the head of R&D Information Technology in the pharmaceutical industry (Parke-Davis 1997-2000, Eli Lilly 2000-2003) before joining Purdue in 2003. He earned his doctorate from Princeton, and his B.S. and M.S. concurrently from Caltech in 1979.
As of late, the Kim Research Group has been focused on collaborations with industry using Computational Drug Discovery (CDD), which is aimed at using computational methods including AI to design small organic molecules for therapeutic purposes.
“Classical chemical engineering understands the critical role of capital resources management in the design of novel processes in chemical plants, what I like to call capital-intensive innovation,” he said. “My UH research plans include significant translational components to help harness the full potential of the biomedical sciences ecosystem in the greater Houston region.”
In addition to the recognition he has received from professional organizations, Kim is the co-author with his former Ph.D. student Seppo Karrila of the 1991 book Microhydrodynamics. It is considered a core text in regards to single particle theory and problems related to multiparticle analyses in viscous fluids.
Kim’s family moved to Montreal from Korea when he was 7. His parents, both mathematicians, and his extended family tree of educators all encouraged his interest in the field. A positive experience with high school chemistry inspired and encouraged his love of the field that continues to the present.