Dr Boksun Kim

Biography

I am Associate Head of School for Research in the School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics at the University of Plymouth (UoP). As Associate Professor of Structural Engineering, I have obtained over £1 million in research grants from EU Horizon 2020, the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng), the Academy of Medical Sciences and the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) since 2014. I have been working on projects involving steel and concrete structures, graphene oxide concrete, recycled aggregates in concrete and plastic bottle houses, which have led to over 40 research publications. The latter project on developing local capacity for building affordable, self-sufficient homes (bottle houses), funded by a RAEng Frontiers of Engineering Seed Funding, was tweeted by the UK Prime Minister’s Office in August 2018.

As Associate Head of Civil Engineering at the UoP from 2015 to 2018, I made huge contributions to the management and operation of the Civil Engineering programmes on a daily basis. I have demonstrated exceptional leadership skills to motivate and inspire people within and beyond the University.

I established the UoP Civil Engineering Professional Mentoring Advisory Committee in 2018 to pair Civil Engineering students with Plymouth graduates who are working in the Civil Engineering Industry and has been successfully implementing the mentoring scheme since. As a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, a Chartered Structural Engineer, the Past Chair (2018-20) of the IStructE Devon and Cornwall Regional Group, and a member of the Engineering Professors’ Council, I have actively been promoting civil and structural engineering.

Prior to joining the University, I was a lecturer at the University of Portsmouth from 2002 to 2006 and at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen from 2000 to 2002.

Qualifications

2005: PGC in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, University of Portsmouth, UK.
2000: Ph.D. in Structural Engineering, the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK.
1995: MSc in Structural Engineering, Myong Ji University, Seoul, South Korea.
1993: BSc in Architectural Engineering, Myong Ji University, Seoul, South Korea.

Professional membership

2019- Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, London.

2018- Member of the Engineering Professors Council, UK.

2015- Member of the Institution of Structural Engineers (MIStructE), London, UK.

2015- Chartered Engineer of the Engineering Council (CEng), UK.

2004- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), UK.

Roles on external bodies

2018-20 Member of the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) Council, London.

2018-20 Chair of the IStructE Devon & Cornwall Regional Group.

2016-17 Vice Chair of the IStructE Devon & Cornwall Regional Group.

2016- Member of the IStructE Academic Qualifications Panel, London.

2015- Member of the IStructE Devon & Cornwall Regional Group committee.

Teaching

Teaching interests

I teach the following structural analysis and design modules:

STAD200 Structural Analysis and Design 1- This module extends the theoretical base established by the Stage 1 Mechanics and Structures module. It is intended to combine the basic principles of analysis with design to develop an integrated approach to solving problems in Structural Engineering. The module is supported by the use of computer software (MasterSeries) and laboratory work.
STAD300 Structural Analysis and Design 2- This module focuses on the analyses and design of whole structures, i.e. multi-storey buildings. It includes computer modelling and analysis using LUSAS FEA, and methods of the validation of the obtained results using approximate analysis.

Research

Research interests

I carry out research in the areas of steel and concrete structures, buckling behaviour of cold-formed steel sections, graphene oxide concrete, low carbon related building materials such as recycled aggregates in concrete and recycling plastic wastes in concrete. I am currently working on the RAEng Frontiers Champion project on Recycled Aggregate Concrete in Southeast Asia and Capacity and capability building to develop recycled aggregate concrete in South East Asia. Please join us if you are interested in these projects.

I am wiling to help applications for funded doctoral and post-doctoral studies. Please email me to boksun.kim@plymouth.ac.uk.

Research degrees awarded to supervised students

2022 Buckling behaviour of perforated cold-form steel channel-section beams with circular holes in the web, PhD, Nanting Yu, University of Plymouth.
2019 Analysis and design of castellated beams, PhD, Sahar Elaiwi, University of Plymouth.
2018 Micro-scale study of multi-component ionic transport in concrete, PhD, Ganlin Feng, University of Plymouth.
2015 Fire performance of cold-formed steel sections, PhD, Shanshan Cheng, University of Plymouth.

Ph.D theses that examined:

2019 Aissa Bouaiss, Synthesis and manufacture of high performance FA-GGBS-HMNS based geoploymer concrete. School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics, University of Plymouth, UK.
2016 RaymondSieh, Self-lubricating non-cyanide Ag-PTFE composite coating for threadedcompression fittings, School of Engineering, Plymouth University, UK.
2014: Qing-feng Liu, Muli-phasemodelling of multi-species ionic migration in concrete, Marine Scienceand Engineering, Plymouth University, UK.
2004: Eng Han TEE, Geometric optimisation of yield line patterns using generic algorithms, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Univerisity of Portsmouth, UK.

Grants & contracts

2021-23

Capacity and capability building to develop recycled aggregate concrete in South East Asia, Global Challenges Research Fund Networking Grants funded by the Academy of Medical Sciences (£25k, UK Applicant and leading the project with research partners from 6 Southeast Asian counties.)

2020-22

Recycled Aggregate Concrete in South East Asia, awarded a RAEng Frontiers Champion (£13.75k, PI). Created a Consortium for Recycled Aggregates in Concrete Construction and hosted 10 webinars on the use of recycled aggregates in concrete in 2021.

2021-24

Developing fire resistant concrete using graphene oxide, PhD Studentship by the UoP as the Director of Studies (DoS).

2021-24

Developing high performance, durable graphene oxide concrete for structural applications in the coastal environment, PhD Studentship by the UoP as DoS.

2018-19

A pilot study of concrete habitats on Mars funded by Small Research Grant (£2.5k) in the School of Engineering at the UoP and also the IStructE UG Research Grant (£0.8k)

2017-21

Research on Tailor-made recycled aggregate concrete (TRAC) funded by H2020 MSCA-RISE-2017 (2017-2021, Total €450k), Shanshan Cheng, Long-yuan Li and Boksun Kim.

2017-21

Buckling behaviour of cold-formed steel channels with holes on the web, PhD Studentship by the Chinese Scholarship Council and the UoP (2017-20, as DoS). This project aims to develop a numerical model to predict the buckling behaviour of such beams.

2018-22

Structural performance optimisation of wave energy device arrays, PhD Studentship by the UoP (2018-21, as a Second Supervisor) This project aims to develop a multi-objective optimisation method to investigate optimised design of wave energy converters considering both power generation and structural resilience.

2016-17

Development of a mirror-supported system for concentrating solar power plants, funded by the RAEng Frontiers of Engineering Seed Funding (£20k, PI) in collaboration with the eNtsa research team at Nelson Mandela University in South Africa.

2016-17

Developing local capacity for building affordable, self-sufficient homes, funded by the RAEng Frontiers of Engineering Seed Funding (£20k, Co-I), in collaboration with researchers at De Montfort University and Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. It resulted in 2 journal papers and a tweet by the UK Prime Minister’s Office.

2016-17

Enhancement of student's learning experience using Microsoft Surface Pro: Funded by the MSE Teaching and Learning Awards at Plymouth University, this project aimed to enhance student's learning experience through exploration and appraisal of Surface Pro technology in teaching and perform an appraisal of these approaches.

2015-2020

Partnership for Research in Geopolymer Concrete (PRIGeoC, 689857), H2020-MSCA RISE-2015 (2015-2020, Total €517.5k). Long-yuan Li, Huirong Li and Boksun Kim.

2014-18

The Properties of Cement Mortar and Concrete reinforced using Graphene Oxide Flakes:

Funded by the IStructE UG Research Grant in 2014 and 2016. Conducted experimental work to investigate the mechanical properties (tensile, compressive and flexural strengths) and permeability of cement mortar and concrete reinforced using Graphene Oxide flakes. It resulted in 1 journal paper

2013-17

Chloride Penetration in Concrete at Elevated Temperature:

A Ph.D. project. Co-supervised with Professor Long-yuan Li. It involved experiments and numerical simulations. The effects of temperature and corresponding gradients on chloride penetration profiles were examined. It resulted in 1 journal and 1 conference papers

2011-15

The Buckling Analysis of Cold-formed sections:

A Ph.D. project. Co-supervised with Professor Long-yuan Li. It involved analytical studies and numerical analyses. It resulted in 5 journal and 3 conference papers.

2011-15

The Buckling Behaviour of Steel Web Tapered Tee-section Cantilevers:

This project was funded by a SME Small Research Grant (£5k) from the UoP and also an IStructE UG Research Grant. It involved analytical studies, numerical analyses, and experimental work involving 10 beams. It resulted in 2 journal and 1 conference papers

Publications

Journals

1. Olofinnade, O., Morawo, A., Okedairo, O. and Kim, B. Solid waste management in developing countries: Reusing of steel slag aggregate in eco-friendly interlocking concrete paving blocks production, Case Studies in Construction Materials, 2021;14, e00532.

2. Yu, N., Kim, B., Huang, X., Yuan, W., Ye, R., Hong, W. and Le, J. Analytical solution for flange/web distortional buckling of cold-formed steel beams with circular web perforations, Mechanics of Advanced Materials and Structures, published online on March 26, 2021.

3. Yu, N., Kim, B., L. Li, Hong, W, and Yuan, W. Distortional buckling of perforated cold-formed steel beams subject to uniformly distributed transverse loads, Thin-Walled Structures, 2020;148. 106569.

4. Kim, B., Wisniewski, J., baker, T. and Oyinlola, M., Behaviour of sand-filled plastic bottled clay panels for sustainable homes, Journal of Building Engineering, 2019;26.

5. Elaiwi, S., Kim, B. and Li, L., Dynamic instability of castellated beams subjected to transverse periodic loading, Challenge Journal of Structural Mechanics, 2019;5(1):9-18.

6. Elaiwi, S., Kim, B. and Li, L., Linear and Nonlinear Buckling Analysis of Castellated Beams, International Journal of Structural and Civil Engineering Research, 2019:8(2):83-93.

7. Elaiwi, S., Kim, B. and Li, L., Bending Analysis of castellated beams, Athens Journal of Technology and Engineering, 2019;6(1):1-16.

8. Yu, N., Kim, B., Yuan, W., Li, L. and Yu, F. An analytical solution of distortional buckling resistance of cold-formed steel channel-section beams with web openings, Thin-Walled Structures, 2019;135:446-452.

9. Oyinlola, M., Whitehead, T., Abuzeinab, A., Adelfila, A., Akinola, Y., Anafi, F., Farukh, F., Jegede, O., Kandan, K., Kim, B. & Mosugu, E. Bottle House: A case study of transdisciplinary research for tackling global challenges, Habitat International, 2018;79:18-29.

10. Kim B, Taylor, L., Troy, A. McArthur, M and Ptaszynska, M. The effects of Graphene Oxide flakes on the mechanical properties of cement mortar, Computers and Concrete, 2018;21(3):261-267.

11. Feng, G., LI, L., Kim, B. and Liu, Q. Multiphase modelling of ionic transport in cementitious materials with surface charges, Computational Materials Sciences, 2016;111:339-49.

12. Kim, B., Li, L. and Edmonds, A. Analytical solutions of lateral-torsional buckling of castellated steel beams, the International Journal of Structural Stability and Dynamics, 2016;16:8.

13. Yuan, W., Cheng, S., Li. L. and Kim, B. Web-flange distortional buckling of partially restrained cold-formed steel purlins under uplift loading, International Journal of Mechanical Sciences, 2014;89:476-81.

14. Cheng, S., Yan, Q, Li, L. and Kim, B. Thermal Buckling analysis of axially loaded columns of thin-walled open section with non-uniform sectional properties, International Journal of Structural Stability and Dynamics, 2014;15:6.

15. Cheng, S., Li, L. and Kim, B. Buckling analysis of cold-formed steel channel-section columns at elevated temperatures, Fire Safety Journal, 2015;72:7-15.

16. Cheng, S., Li, L. and Kim, B. Buckling analysis of cold-formed steel channel-section beams at elevated temperatures, Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 2015;104:74-80.

17. Chen, J, Kim, B and Li, L. Analytical approach for transverse vibration analysis of castellated beams, International Journal of Structural Stability and Dynamics 2014;14:3.

18. Kim, B., Oliver, A. and Vyse, J. Bending stresses of steel web tapered tee section cantilevers, Journal of Civil Engineering and Architecture, 2013;7:11:1329-1342.

19. Yuan, W., Kim, B. and Li, L. Buckling of axially loaded castellated steel columns, Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 2013;92:40-45.

20. Yuan, W, Kim, B and Chen, C. Lateral-torsional buckling of steel web tapered tee-section cantilevers, Journal of Constructional Steel Research 2013;87:31-37.

21. Cheng, S, Kim, B. & Li, L. Lateral–torsional buckling of cold-formed channel sections subject to combined compression and bending. Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 2013;80:174-180.

22. Kim, B., Wright, H. and Cairns, R. The Stem Girder System: Numerical Analysis, Composite Construction in Steel and Concrete IV, ASCE, 2002;178-188.

23. Kim, B., Wright, H. and Cairns, R. The Behaviour of Through Deck Welded Shear Connectors: an Experimental and Numerical Study, Journal of Constructional Steel Research Vol. 57, No. 12, December 2001;1359-1380.

24. Kim, B., Wright, H and Cairns, R. A Study of Continuous Stem Girder Systems, Structural Engineering and Mechanics: An International Journal, 2001;11(5):469-484, May 2001.

25. Park, Bok-Man, Jung, Goo-Sup, Choi, Sung-Yong, and Kim, Bok-Sun. A Study on the Strength of Stud Shear Connectors in T-shaped Composite Beams, Journal of the Architectural Institute of Korea, 1994;10(5):173-180, sponsored by POSCO IRON & STEEL CO., LTD, Seoul, South Korea.

Conference Papers

1. Ye, Q, Cheng, S, Kim, B, Collins, K and Iglesias, G. Structure design and assessment of a floating foundation for offshore wind turbine to be presented in the ASME IOWTC from 3-6/11/2019

2. Elaiwi, S., Li, L. and Kim, B. Bending Analysis of Castellated Beams, the 2nd Annual International Conference on Structural Engineering and Mechanics, 19-22 June 2017, Athens, Greece.

3. Elaiwi, S., Kim, B. and Li, L. Bending Analysis of Continuous Castellated Beams, the ASEM17 Congress, Aug. 28 – Sep. 1, 2017, Ilsan, South Korea.

4. Kim, B., Taylor, L., Troy, A. McArthur, M and Ptaszynska, M. The effect of Graphene Oxide flakes on the mechanical properties of cement mortar, the ASEM17 Congress Aug. 28 – Sep. 1, 2017, Ilsan, South Korea.

5. Feng, G., LI, L. and Kim, B. The effect of an electric double layer on chloride penetration in cement paste, The 2015 World Congress on Advances in Structural Engineering and Mechanics (ASEM 15) in Songdo, Incheon, South Korea, 25-29 Aug. 2015.

6. Cheng, S., Kim, B. and Li, L. Fire performance of cold-formed steel members: Buckling behaviour of channel sections under axial and transverse uniform loading, the EUROSTEEL 2014 conference, Naples, Italy, 10-12 Sep. 2014.

7. Cheng, S, Kim, B. and Li, L. An analytical study of the buckling of cold formed steel channel members at elevated temperatures, Proceedings of the 10th Pacific Structural Steel Conference (PSSC 2013), Singapore, 8-11 Oct. 2013

8. Cheng, S, Kim, B. and Li, L. Structural behaviour of cold-formed steel channel members at elevated temperatures, The 2013 World Congress on Advances in Structural Engineering and Mechanics (ASEM 13), Jeju South Korea, 8-12 Sep. 2013.

9. Kim, B. and Oliver, A. A study of web tapered tee section cantilevers. IABSE-IASS Symposium, London, Sep. 2011.

10. Kim, B., Wright, H. and Cairns, R. The Behaviour of Through-deck Welded Shear Connectors: A Numerical Study, Proceedings of the First International Conference on Steel and Composite Structures, Busan, South Korea, June 2001, pp. 1327-1334. (Overseas Travel Grant received from the Royal Society, London to present this paper at the conference.)

11. Kim, B., Wright, H. and Cairns, R. The stem girder system: numerical analysis, Engineering Foundation Conference, Banff, May 2000, pp. 1-11.

12. Wright, H., Kim, B. and Cairns, R. The development of a stem girder system, The 6th International Conference by Association for International Cooperation and Research in Steel-Concrete Composite Structures (ASCCS), Los Angeles, March 2000, pp.615-622.

13. Kim, B., Wright, H.D, Cairns, R. and Bradford, M.A. The numerical simulation of shear connection, Proceedings of the 16th Australasian Conference on the Mechanics of Structures and Materials, Sydney, Australia, December 1999, pp. 341-346.

14. Kim, B., Wright, H.D. and Cairns, R. A study of a New Continuous Stem Girder System, Proceedings of the First International Conference on Advances in Structural Engineering and Mechanics, Seoul, South Korea, August 1999, pp. 537-542.

15. Kim, Bok-Sun, Lee, Young-Jik, Yu, Seung-Kye, Choi, In-Seong and Park, Bok-Man. A Study on the Strength of the Composite Beams in the Inverted T-Shaped Steel, Proceedings of the Autumn Conference of Architectural Institute of Korea, 1995;15(2): 593-598, October 21, 1995, Seoul, South Korea.

Personal

Reports & invited lectures

Contributed to P376 Steel building design: Worked examples for students in accordance with Eurocodes, published by the SCI in 2007.

Other academic activities

Hosted 10 webinars on Recycled Aggregates in Concrete as part of the RAEng Frontiers Champion project on Recycled Aggregate Concrete in Southeast Asia.