Research:

Music AI, human-machine interfaces & robotics for expressive interaction, and STEAM education.

Bio:

Youngmoo Kim is Director of the ExCITe Center, Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering, and Director of the Music & Entertainment Technology Laboratory. He has served as Resident Technologist for Opera Philadelphia and is an advisor for the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Youngmoo presents frequently on topics related to the intersections of technology, performing arts, and digital equity. He was recently a keynote speaker for the joint NSF-NEA Algorithmic Arts Workshop. He served on the National Academies report committee for “Branches from the Same Tree” on the integration of the Humanities & Arts with Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Higher Education and co-edited a special feature of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences focusing on creativity and collaboration. His 2019 TEDxPhiladelphia talk addressed the persistent digital divide and the lack of equity & inclusion in tech, and his 2020 TEDxDrexelU remote presentation focused on artistic creativity & collaboration online at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2018, Youngmoo co-organized the National Convening of Education Innovation Clusters in Philadelphia with Digital Promise and co-authored “Making Culture”, a national study of education makerspaces. He has co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed research publications, and his research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and the NAMM Foundation, among others.

Youngmoo received his Ph.D. from the MIT Media Lab and holds Master's degrees in Electrical Engineering and Music (Vocal Performance Practice) from Stanford University as well as Engineering and Music degrees from Swarthmore College. He has extensive experience with music performance, including 8 years as a member of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus (Boston Symphony Orchestra), and currently sings with The Tonics, a longstanding a cappella ensemble in Philadelphia. In response to the pandemic, he developed Virtual Chorister, a smartphone app for remote music collaboration, and launched “Creating at a Distance”, a newsletter highlighting creative & collaborative work in the era of social distancing.

Honors and Awards:

In 2021 Youngmoo received the Drexel College of Engineering’s Inclusive Excellence Award. He was named “Connector of the Year” in 2017 by LiveConnections (World Cafe Live) and “Scientist of the Year" by the 2012 Philadelphia Geek Awards. He was honored as a member of the Apple Distinguished Educator class of 2013. He is recipient of Drexel's 2012 Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching. He co-chaired the 2008 International Conference on Music Information Retrieval (hosted at Drexel) and was an invited organizer for the National Academy of Engineering's 2010 Frontiers of Engineering conference.