Rate My Professor Duckbong Kim

Duckbong Kim served as an Associate Professor in the Department of Manufacturing and Engineering Technology at Tennessee Technological University from 2016 to 2025, advancing from Assistant Professor. He holds a Ph.D. in Information and Mechatronics from the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, South Korea (2011), an M.S. in Mechatronics from the same institution (2006), and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Chonnam National University, South Korea (2003). Before joining Tennessee Tech, Kim was a Guest Researcher in the Systems Integration Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (2011-2016). He also served as a visiting faculty at the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility of Oak Ridge National Laboratory in 2019 and participated as an exchanging graduate student in the Department of Computer Science at the University of California, Irvine (2004-2005).

Kim's research focuses on advanced manufacturing, wire + arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), metal big area additive manufacturing (mBAAM), smart manufacturing, data analytics, machine vision, high-temperature alloys, and high entropy alloys. In 2022, he received the National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award exceeding $500,000 to develop digital twin-based approaches for additive manufacturing of titanium-zirconium-molybdenum alloys used in rocket engines, high-temperature furnaces, and electronic components, promoting sustainability by reducing carbon footprints through efficient material use. Additional honors include the Wings Up 100 Research Achievement Award at Tennessee Tech (2021-2024) and the Excellence in Creative Inquiry Mentoring Award (2021). He has contributed to university service, including the University Curriculum Committee, and presented seminars on laser/metal-based additive manufacturing qualification issues. Key publications encompass 'A decision-guidance framework for sustainability performance analysis of manufacturing processes' (2015, The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology), 'Conceptual Architecture of Digital Twins with Human-in-the-Loop Based Smart Manufacturing' (2023), 'Wire directed energy deposition of steel-aluminum functionally graded materials' (2024), and 'Recent Progress and Scientific Challenges in Wire-Arc Additive Manufacturing of Metallic Multi-Material Structures' (2025). His efforts integrate experiments with computational modeling, fostering innovations in Industry 5.0 and mentoring students through national lab internships and K-12 STEM programs.