Meet Jinwoong Nam 

“Be sure to broaden your experiences during your graduate program.” -- Jinwoong Nam 

Jinwoong Nam expects to earn his Ph.D. in chemical and biochemical engineering in October 2023. A graduate of Korea University with a BS in chemical and biological engineering (CBE), his doctoral experience at the School of Engineering included serving as a teaching assistant in chemical engineering thermodynamics and transport phenomena courses. As a CBE research assistant, Nam investigated catalytic reaction mechanisms and studied complex surface chemistries using computational and machine learning. 

The Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering has long partnered with the Colgate-Palmolive Experiential Learning Opportunity Program (ELOP), which offers PhD students an exceptional opportunity to gain hands-on experience from a mentor at Colgate-Palmolive’s Piscataway facility and prepare for post-graduate careers. The program’s fellowship fund also provides a stipend, for salary, benefits, and tuition. From September 2021 until June 2023, Nam was a PhD fellow intern at Colgate-Palmolive.   

What did you do after graduating from Korea University before enrolling at Rutgers? 

I worked as a process engineer for a Seoul, Korea based engineering company for five years. 

Why did you choose Rutgers for your doctoral study? 

I was interested in computational research and there are several great groups in the CBE department.  

As a doctoral student, what was your primary research focus? 

I focused on the investigation of thermochemical properties of the surface intermediates and their catalysis using first-principles calculation and machine learning. My expertise includes computational catalysis and data science predictive modeling. 

What were your responsibilities as a Colgate-Palmolive ELOP fellow? 

My responsibilities included advanced analytics of clinical and laboratory data for the oral care early research team. As a fellow, I collaborated with internal and external experts, including chemists, statisticians, microbiologists, and data scientists to problem solve. 

I identified a dozen biomarkers for oral health diseases using statistical methods and machine learning. I also designed the predictive model for oral malodor levels from breath composition and genomics data of the salivary microbiome using machine learning algorithms.  

Did your experience relate to your doctoral research? 

It related to my PhD research in that various machine learning approaches for chemical data are employed for both my PhD research and my internship. 

What do you most value about your Rutgers education? 

The great computational resources, great faculty members, generous support for conference travel, and great educational cooperative experiences such as the Colgate-Palmolive ELOP. 

What are your post-graduate plans? 

I plan to work in industry. 

Do you have any advice for future CBE graduate students? 

I suggest future CBE students have various experiences and broaden their perspectives during their graduate programs. 

What do you like to do for fun? 

I like to walk, travel, and watch baseball games.