CHAN JOHNG KIM Ph.D.
Seattle,WA
Summary
Motivated protein scientist with deep expertise in Artificial Intelligence-driven protein and antibody engineering, trained in the Baker Lab at the Institute for Protein Design. Experience spans de novo protein design, structural modeling, and cytokine immunotherapy, combining computational biology with experimental validation. Proven success in leading design-to-validation workflows, including Generative AI-based design, yeast display, and in vivo testing. Highly skilled in Python and molecular modeling, with strengths in scientific communication, time management, and cross-functional collaboration. Highly adaptable, successfully transitioned from an immunology PhD to a computational protein design postdoc.
Overview
10
10
years of professional experience
Work History
Postdoctoral Scholar
Institute for Protein Design
08.2022 - Current
- Company Overview: University of Washington – Seattle, WA
- Designed a monomeric IFNγ variant with wild-type activity and improved modularity using GenAI tools.
- Created tumor-activated cytokines and minibinder/antibody fusions targeting EGFR, EpCAM, HER2, and PD-L1, achieving up to 10,000-fold therapeutic windows.
- Evaluated five antibody fusion formats (HC/LC termini, mono/bi-valent), uncovering configuration effects on potency—insights broadly applicable to bispecifics.
- Built and screened yeast display libraries with FACS; analyzed hits by NGS.
- Expressed and purified proteins; supported in vivo studies.
- Co-authored publications, contributed to regulatory filings, and co-invented patent on SMART MHC.
- Maintained electronic lab notebooks and presented findings across teams.
- University of Washington – Seattle, WA
Postdoctoral Fellow
POSTECH
03.2021 - 07.2022
- Company Overview: Pohang, Korea
- Identified immunomodulatory Bifidobacterium strains out of 24 via genomics and validated anti-tumor activity in mouse models.
- Used flow cytometry and ex vivo cultures to study immune responses.
- Coordinated data collection, presented findings, and contributed to manuscripts.
- Pohang, Korea
Ph.D. Researcher – Immunology
POSTECH
03.2015 - 02.2021
- Company Overview: Pohang, Korea
- Investigated the role of ETS1 in lupus using conditional knockout mice.
- Discovered a novel Tfh2-like cell type driving disease.
- Performed RNA-seq, ATAC-seq, antibody treatments, and patient PBMC analysis.
- Managed mouse lines, led experiments, and authored a first-author paper in Immunity.
- Pohang, Korea
Education
Ph.D. - Life Sciences (Immunology)
POSTECH
South Korea02.2021
B.Sc. - Biology
Handong Global University
South Korea02.2015
Skills
- De novo protein design (RFdiffusion, ProteinMPNN, Rosetta)
- Structure prediction (Alphafold2)
- Modeling software (PyMOL)
- Experience in antibody engineering
- High-throughput screening
- Yeast display technologies
- Next-generation sequencing (NGS) data analysis
- Streamlined automation workflows
- Protein production and purification expertise
- Programming language (Python)
- Electronic lab notebooks
- Scientific writing expertise
- Data interpretation
- Time management skills
- Adapt to changes
- Multitasking & managing multiple projects
- Collaboration & teamwork
- Presentation skills: internal and external
- Cross-functional communication: technical and non-technical audiences
Accomplishments
- Engineered IFNγ–antibody fusion proteins with >10,000-fold tumor-specific activation—the widest therapeutic window reported for IFNγ.
- Led multi-institutional collaborations with Harvard, University of Miami, POSTECH, and Fred Hutch for next generation antibody drug discovery.
- Delivered presentations to scientific leadership at Merck, Eli Lilly, EIT, and Yosemite VC, bridging design and translational strategy.
- Co-inventor on SMART MHC patent; partnered with legal teams to drive IP strategy.
- Ran end-to-end pipelines integrating machine learning, structural biology, protein design, experimental data, yeast surface display, bioinformatics, and in vivo studies for drug discovery and drug development.
- Authored high-impact publications in Immunity and Nature Communications.
Publications
- Kim CJ et al., Immunity (2018), https://www.cell.com/immunity/fulltext/S1074-7613(18)30477-1
- Bai H et al., Nat Commun (2025), https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-57192-z
- Kim CJ et al., bioRxiv (2024), https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.12.06.626481v1.abstract
Patents
PCT/US2025/024665, 04/01/25, SMART MHC: A de novo Designed Platform for Soluble Expression of Peptide-Receptive Class-I MHC in E. coli, David Baker, William White, Hua Bai, Chan Johng Kim, Xiaojing Chen, Kenan Garcia, UW Ref: 49565.02WO2
Languages
English
Native or Bilingual
Korean
Native or Bilingual
Timeline
Postdoctoral Scholar
Institute for Protein Design
08.2022 - Current
Postdoctoral Fellow
POSTECH
03.2021 - 07.2022
Ph.D. Researcher – Immunology
POSTECH
03.2015 - 02.2021
Ph.D. - Life Sciences (Immunology)
POSTECH
B.Sc. - Biology
Handong Global University
Similar Profiles
Khairul Azizan SudaKhairul Azizan Suda
Lecturer to Senior Lecturer at Malaysia Italy Design Institute (formerly known as Institute of Product Design & Manufacturing (IPROM), Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL))Lecturer to Senior Lecturer at Malaysia Italy Design Institute (formerly known as Institute of Product Design & Manufacturing (IPROM), Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL))
Jignesh DesaiJignesh Desai
Mechanical Design Application Engineer at Sopan Institute of Engineering and DesignMechanical Design Application Engineer at Sopan Institute of Engineering and Design
Samuel GebrehiwotSamuel Gebrehiwot
Student and Academic Administrator at The Engineering & Design Institute LondonStudent and Academic Administrator at The Engineering & Design Institute London
Victor BautistaVictor Bautista
Transportation Manager at J.B. HuntTransportation Manager at J.B. Hunt
Jamison MaehlerJamison Maehler
Police Lieutenant at Seattle Police DepartmentPolice Lieutenant at Seattle Police Department