°µÍøTV

Dr. Yaeji Kim joined the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at °µÍøTVState University, Long Beach (°µÍøTV) in 2026. She received her Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from Auburn University in 2023. Prior to joining °µÍøTV, she was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Maryland, College Park, working with NASA's Planetary Data System Small Bodies Node (PDS-SBN).
 

Dr. Kim's research focuses on planetary science, space exploration, and small-body dynamics, with applications to space systems and planetary defense. Her work integrates computational mechanics, physics-based numerical modeling, and observational data analysis to investigate the physical properties and dynamical evolution of asteroids and comets. She is particularly interested in bridging numerical simulations and spacecraft observations to advance our understanding of small Solar System bodies and support future space mission design. She is a core member of the European Space Agency's (ESA) RAMSES mission Science Team, contributing to investigations of asteroid (99942) Apophis during its close encounter with Earth in 2029. Her research also involves NASA planetary exploration missions, including DART and New Horizons.
 

At °µÍøTV, Dr. Kim leads the Space Exploration Lab, where students investigate planetary science and space exploration through numerical simulations and the development of AI-integrated data analysis pipelines. As an instructor, she teaches MAE 381: Fundamentals of Spacecraft Dynamics and MAE 483: Space Flight Orbital Mechanics.