A $1,000 scholarship has been awarded to Jae Young Kim, a doctoral candidate in the department of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Delaware. Kim’s research is focused on developing a novel ML platform
that is based on structural similarities of chemical molecules for situations where limited experimental data is available. This model has demonstrated substantial improvements over more established ML approaches, including transfer learning and Random Forest. Kim’s current investigation utilizes biolubricant molecular structure to predict kinematic viscosity at 40°C. Improving the predictability of bio-lubricant performance can enable efficient, rational design of high-performance sustainable lubricants. Furthermore, this novel approach is applicable to other datasets where experimental data is limited.
Dr. Dion Vlachos describes Kim as a tenacious researcher and a cooperative team member. His research to date has been published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry B and in the proceedings of the 2024 AIChE Annual Meeting.