In honor of Graduate Student Appreciation Week, we would like to shine a light on Ph.D. student Daniel Kim. Originally from Seoul, South Korea, Daniel began his Ph.D. program in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering in 2019 to study water quality. “I decided to pursue a graduate degree in agricultural and biological engineering because I am interested in nonpoint source pollution and wanted a career in this field,” he says. Daniel currently works for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. He has studied phosphorous pollution problems in the Illinois River Basin through statistical and hydrological modeling methods. He hopes to reduce nutrient pollution in the watershed. His advice for current students is to “keep practicing the computer programming tools learned in class beyond the classroom.”

Daniel Kim is a recipient of the 2022 Ben and Georgeann Jones Excellence in Teaching Award. Under the advisement of Dr. Rabin Bhattarai, he anticipates graduating with his doctoral degree in the spring of 2023. Daniel shares, “I hope my Ph.D. degree will provide more opportunities for me to bridge the gap between research and practical application to address water pollution.”