Yeonju Kim

About me

I design play.

Among all forms of play, what captivates me most is creating things that move and interact. That's what every part of my experience is deeply rooted in motion, creation, and the design tools — from robotics research and work in game industry to hands-on web development.

I believe that by lowering technical barriers, more people can create motion and interaction — and in doing so, discover joy, tell richer stories, and bring their ideas to life.

[Curriculum Vitae]

01

Projects

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Robot and Behavior Co-Design,
2019-2021 Research, Tool
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Imaginary Park,
2020 Illustration
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Graffiti Art into the Picture,
[CS 445] Final Project, 2019 Computational Photography, Tool
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Video Stitching and Processing,
[CS 445] Course Project, 2019 Computational Photography
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Image Quilting & Texture Transfer,
[CS 445] Course Project, 2019 Computational Photography
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Beachbot Rake Design Project, Disney Research Zurich, 2017 Fabrication, Research
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Spring Breeze, 2019 Illustration
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Illustration & Photo combined, 2017 Illustration
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Pen Drawings, 2016 - Illustration
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Digital Drawings, 2015 - Illustration
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Beersheba (The Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino), 2015 Illustration

02

Career Map

To better represent the interconnected and evolving nature of my career, I visualized my journey using a dynamic, mind map–based format rather than a traditional linear CV. Please hold the spacebar and drag the canvas OR Use two fingers on a touchpad to pan the canvas. It only works on desktop.

[Website Link]

03

Experience

  • April 2022 - Present

    Software Developer

    Web Service Team, Kaia Foundation

    • DEX Scanner Backend Development: Designed and developed Backend APIs for Dex Scanner in Kaia Portal, enabling real-time monitoring of on-chain swap events across multiple decentralized exchanges (DEXes).
    • Public Delegation Integration: Led research and planning for integrating six external public delegation services—each with different processes—into a unified delegation interface within Kaia Square. Designed the overall delegation flow and developed backend APIs to deliver real-time transaction data for users.
    • Klaytn Square Frontend Development: Led frontend development for Klaytn Square, focusing on voting features and mobile wallet integration, including support for MetaMask and Kaikas.
    • Klaytn Online Toolkit: Designed and developed the Klaytn Online Toolkit, providing code examples and demos to help developers learn the Klaytn SDK and experiment with its features directly through a web-based UI.

  • July 2021 - Jan. 2022

    Animation Programmer

    Animation Tech Team, NC SOFT Corporation

    • Investigated Iterative Inverse Kinematics Solver for 3d Animation.
    • Developed Joint Constraints(Hinge and Cone constraint) used in Inverse Kinematics Solver. Evaluated the Constraints using Humanoid model.

  • September 2019 - Jan 2021

    Research Assistant

    Intelligent Motion Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

    • Supervisor: Kris Hauser (Prof. Department of Computer Science)
    • Developed a co-optimization method for robot design and behaviors, which helps designers effectively explore the design space.
    • Evaluated the method by applying it to grasping gripper design and arm placement for a bimanual mobile manipulator.

  • January - June 2019

    Software Engineering Intern

    Bear Robotics Korea, Seoul, South Korea

    • Developed web-based ROS data visualization using ROS Javascript libraries.
    • Investigated Seq2Seq model and Transformer model to implement Korean Chatbot.

  • July - August 2018

    Game Development Intern

    NCSoft Corporation

    • Made Turn-Based 3-D Tank Game using Unreal Engine 4.
    • Developed client networking module using Multithread programming.
    • Created an Online Multiplayer Tank Game based on the Client-Server architecture.

  • March 2017- June 2018

    Undergraduate Researcher

    Biorobotics Laboratory, Seoul National University

    • Supervisor: Kyu Jin Cho (Prof. Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Eng.)
    • Fabricated soft robotic modules with 3-D printer
    • Analyzed soft module movement using Pseudo Rigid Body Modeling method.
    • Developed bending angle prediction method as a design guide for users to attain desired motions.

  • September 2017- February 2018

    Undergraduate Researcher

    Disney Research Zurich & Autonomous Systems Laboratory, ETH Zurich

    • Paul Beardsley (Principal Research Scientist, Disney Research Zurich), Roland Siegwart (prof. Dep. of Mechanical and Process Eng., ETH Zurich)
    • Designed and fabricated two different designs minimizing the adverse effect on servomotor caused by undesirable rake's motions.
    • Thesis: "Design, Fabrication, and Testing of a rake for the Beachbot Robot"

03

Education

  • August 2019 - June 2021

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

    MS, Mechanical Engineering

    • Coursework includes: Computational Photography, Control System Theory and Design, Markov Decision Processes and Reinforcement Learning, Machine Learning, Special Topics in Learning-based Robotics

  • March 2014 - February 2019

    Seoul National University

    BS, Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering

    • Coursework includes: Introduction to Robotics, Mechatronics System Design and Laboratory, Computer Programming, Data Structures, Algorithms, Media Fundamentals 2, Design and Culture, Basic Media Programming, 3-D Animation

  • September 2017-February 2018

    ETH Zurich

    Exchange Student, Mechanical Engineering

    • Semester Project at Disney Research Zurich and Autonomous Systems Lab
    • Took a graduate course: Physically Based Simulation in Computer Graphics

04

Contact Me

Email

kimkimkim727@gmail.com

Social Network