Joon Baek is a software engineer at Google. He got his bachelors in computer science and physics from Columbia University, and he is currently pursuing a masters at the same university. He is based in New York City.

My name is Mark. From designing Boeing airframes to the Da Vinci surgical robot mechanisms to launching a billion dollar product and leading a team of 20+ engineers at Uber, I hope that my experiences offer insight into anyone curious about working in technology. I started out my career working as a mechanical engineer and now I’m a senior software engineer at Uber. What I’ve confirmed is that methodological thinking transfers across domains, and that a person’s approach to problem solving is more important than what they know currently. I’ve interviewed and mentored many junior and mid-level engineers and can help answer any questions about what I look for as an interviewer and mentor.

Tommy is a software engineer at the Bank of New York, more specifically working with data engineering technologies. In his role, Tommy develops backend systems, primarily in Java, to manage enterprise level data within the company’s petabyte-scale data lake architecture. With less than a year of professional experience, he wishes to offer a perspective on the transition from student life to a full-time career. Tommy hopes to give practical advice on passing technical interviews, preparing for your first professional experience, and building confidence in the workplace. Tommy recently graduated from Rutgers University in New Jersey with a Bachelor’s of Science in Computer Science. He has also held some leadership positions in KSEA during his time as a student!

Esther Hyeon-ji Kim, works in global biopharma at Sanofi as an Associate Scientist. She is a part of the Manufacturing Science Technology and Analytics team, specifically in the upstream group. The primary responsibility of her position is to support the development of manufacturing processes. She mostly works with monoclonal antibody and enzyme cell cultures on a small scale. Her team also supports investigations and experimental confirmations requested by the manufacturing site. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor's degree in Biology. During her academic years, she worked as a lab associate, participating in various studies. She also gained industry experience as a global intern at Samsung Biologics. If you have any questions about the pharmaceutical industry, industry experience, or job interviews, feel free to reach out!

Helen recently graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in Computer Science and has started her career at Dell Technologies as a Software Engineer. After interning as a CI/CD pipeline tester, she is now part of the Cross Platform Provisioning (XPP) team, where she contributes to the development and management of Dell's digital cloud platform by building automation and orchestration tools.

In addition to her role as a back-end developer for microservices, Helen is eager to broaden her technical expertise and explore new areas of interest, such as front-end development and DevOps. She is still on the journey to find her passion and is excited to discover new technologies and skills to grow both personally and professionally. In her free time, Helen enjoys walking her dog, painting, and watching Disney movies, which help her unwind and maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Peter is an associate hardware engineer at Morgan Stanley, working within the electronic trading division to develop cutting-edge hardware solutions for equity options market making. With expertise in digital logic design/verification, computer networks, and FPGAs, he focuses on optimizing high-speed trading systems. A 2020 graduate of Cornell University with a bachelor's in computer science, Peter leverages his strong academic background to explore and advance his passion for technology.

June Park is a Data Engineering Consultant at New Math Data, specializing in data infrastructure optimization, enterprise system architecture, and generative AI solutions. Throughout her career at Daugherty Business Solutions and Groundspeed Analytics, she has built a strong foundation in developing scalable data pipelines and cloud-based solutions. She holds an M.S. in Information from the University of Michigan and a B.S. in Computational Media from the Georgia Institute of Technology. A long time KSEA member, June has served as Co-Chair of UKC Data Science Workshop. 

Yoona has been a Machine Learning Engineer at Apple since 2022, focusing on delivering outstanding customer experiences. She earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Computer Science from the University of Toronto, specializing in Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing. During her studies, she developed a strong interest in the wide-ranging applications of language models, with a focus on their ethical implications. Actively involved in the Korean American community, Yoona values the networking opportunities that have supported her career growth and leadership development. She hopes this conference provides all participants with opportunities for meaningful connections and shared growth.

James is a Banting fellow at Harvard University, where he investigates how our immune system deteriorates with age and its implications in chronic diseases. Prior to his post-doctoral training, his PhD at the University of Toronto focused on engineering T cells for cancer immunotherapy.  In conjunction with his academic contributions, James serves as scientific consultant for biotech/pharma companies such as Merck. He is also an elected council member of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and holds leadership roles in other scientific bodies. He aims to share important lessons learned throughout his research journey, offering support to undergraduate/graduate students with an interest in pursuing careers in STEM. Additionally, James is an advocate for early career development, emphasizing the importance of cultivating leadership skills and fostering financial literacy. 

Jihyun (Luna) Hwang is a Ph.D. candidate in Chemical Engineering at Stanford University in Professor Joseph M. DeSimone’s lab. She is passionate about translational cancer research, particularly in developing novel platforms to enhance the delivery and efficacy of anticancer therapies. Her current research focuses on 3D-printed implantable iontophoresis devices for organ-specific drug delivery, with an emphasis on mRNA-based in situ CAR-T cell engineering. She earned her B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Georgia Tech, where she also worked as an undergraduate researcher in Professor Mark Prausnitz's lab for three years studying microneedle patch diagnostics for active tuberculosis.

Hello, my name is Sung June Kim. I am currently a chemistry PhD student in the Sheiko research group at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I graduated from the University of Wisconsin — Madison last year May with a B.S. in chemistry. During my undergraduate studies, I worked under the guidance of Professor AJ Boydston. My research focused on creating biodegradable plastics from protein resins through the application of additive manufacturing (3D-Printing). After conducting research in polymer chemistry, I decided to continue pursuing an advanced degree in this field. For my research in graduate school, under the supervision of Professor Sergei Sheiko, I plan to further study the chemical background and mechanical/materialistic properties of water adhesives and botulin toxin. 

I am a Ph.D. candidate in drug discovery and pharmaceutical sciences at UNC Chapel Hill. My research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms behind complex human diseases and leveraging this knowledge to advance early-stage drug discovery. Specifically, I investigate disease-related physiological processes and work to develop innovative treatments. I’d be happy to connect with anyone interested in drug development, whether it’s organic synthesis, bioassay development, lead optimization, or preclinical studies. I am also open to discussing broader topics such as chemical biology, medicinal chemistry, cheminformatics, and AI-driven drug discovery platforms.

Jason is a fourth-year medical student at NSU MD in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and is currently applying into a residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation with an interest in fellowship in Sports and Spine Medicine. Throughout his medical school career, Jason has held several leadership positions, including being one of two students currently serving on his medical school's Admissions Committee, Founder and President of the NSU MD Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Club, Clinical Research Undergraduate Mentor, and Head Coach of his University's Collegiate Club Soccer Team. Jason has been a member of KSEA since 2018. He graduated from Virginia Tech with a B.S. in Biological Sciences but did not decide to pursue medicine until the latter half of his undergraduate career. Jason is a proponent of health, evidence-based medicine, and mentoring those who have great passion for whatever it is they wish to become (as long as it isn't becoming a super villain).

Matthew is an MD/PhD student at the University of Minnesota passionate about integrating medicine and scientific research. His interest in research began during his undergraduate studies in Chemical Engineering at the University of Southern California and continued at UC San Francisco, where he studied cell signaling alterations to uncover cancer therapeutics using multi-omics technology. Building on this foundation, he now focuses on computational modeling to predict functional genomic and proteomic interactions, advancing precision medicine for complex diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative conditions. Matthew is also dedicated to mentoring students and early-career professionals, helping them explore unique, multidisciplinary career paths. He has held leadership roles within KSEA YG, actively supporting STEM students through mentorship and community initiatives. At Katalyst, he looks forward to sharing his experiences and connecting with participants.

Juyoung Kim, MD obtained her medical degree from Duke University School of Medicine. She then attended family medicine residency training at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she focused on an HIV and hepatitis C area of concentration. During her residency training she partnered with her colleague and was awarded an ACGME grant to develop a weight management guidebook and lecture series for family medicine residents. She is currently pursuing a geriatrics fellowship at Duke University School of Medicine through the Department of Medicine. Her clinical interests include underserved geriatric populations, family and person-centered care, patient education, and primary care procedures. Her academic interests include evidence-based medicine, trainee education, and quality improvement. She also enjoys spending time with her family in the United States, Italy, and Korea, as well as her playful dachshund.