Associate Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
Graduate School of Green Growth and Sustainability
KAIST-NYU G-School
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

Dr. Albert Tonghoon Han is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and the Director of the Planning Lab for Sustainability and Climate Change (PLaSC2). His research and teaching backgrounds encompass land use, environmental planning, urban decarbonization, and the application of AI and spatial modeling to enhance global climate resilience. His research has been published in top-tier academic journals, including the Journal of the American Planning Association, the Journal of Planning Education and Research, the Journal of Planning Literature, Cities, and Land Use Policy.

Deeply committed to advancing global planning education, Dr. Han actively works to bridge rigorous academic standards with international planning practice. He has a strong record of leadership within the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP), having served as a Conference Co-Track Chair from 2022 to 2025, and is currently an official nominee for the ACSP Governing Board as the Categorical Representative for Individual Members (2026–2028). Additionally, he serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Planning Education and Research (JPER) and is the Education Committee Chair for the Urban Land Institute (ULI) South Korea chapter.

Prior to joining the faculty at KAIST, Dr. Han was an Assistant Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where he was heavily involved in the department's Planning Accreditation Board (PAB) self-study, and a postdoctoral research fellow and lecturer at the University of Calgary in Canada. Dr. Han holds a Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania, an M.S. in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Iowa, and a B.S. in Life Science and Biotechnology from Korea University.

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Dr. Chaeri Kim’s research is concerned with how environmental planning and policy can make natural and built environments more sustainable, resilient, and equitable. She studies how planning and policy can utilize nature-based solutions to address issues in urban environments, as well as the impacts of such interventions on communities. Her research has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals, including Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, Cities, and the Journal of the American Planning Association. Dr. Kim previously served as a Postdoctoral Fellow and Research Lead for the Natural Solutions Initiative at the ACT–Action on Climate Team at Simon Fraser University. She received a Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania, where her dissertation investigated how and to what extent local governments have incorporated green infrastructure into their stormwater management. She earned a Master’s in City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master’s in Real Estate Development from New York University, and a Bachelor’s in English Literature from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

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Dr. Hyerim Yoon is a visiting professor from the Department of Geography, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Autonomous University of Barcelona), Spain.  Her research interests lie in inclusive adaptation, energy and water vulnerability, the water–energy nexus, political ecology, and socio-spatial inequality in urban and tourism contexts. Her research has appeared in leading international journals such as Energy Research & Social Science, Climate Risk Management, Current Issues in Tourism, Energy and Buildings, and Local Environment, contributing significantly to interdisciplinary debates on energy justice, water affordability, and climate adaptation. In recognition of her scholarly contributions, she received the 2025 Early Career Scientist Award from Energy Research & Social Science. Prior to her current academic affiliation, Dr. Yoon held several research and teaching positions in Spain, including an adjunct professorship at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Girona, and Barcelona Supercomputing Center. She holds a Ph.D. in Geography from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Cum Laude), an M.A. in Environmental Studies from the Joint European Master's in Environmental Studies (JEMES) program, and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Business Administration from Yonsei University.

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