Kyulee Kim

Hi! I’m a junior in Bioengineering ('26) with a strong passion for research. Research has been central to my academic journey since my freshman year. It has profoundly shaped my intellectual and personal growth, and I understand how pivotal these experiences can be. My goal is to support underclassmen in navigating their research paths, as balancing academics, social life, and extracurriculars can be challenging. By sharing my insights and offering guidance, I hope to help you transition smoothly and succeed in your research endeavors.

I've had the privilege of participating in both the PURM and Rachleff Scholars programs over the past two summers. At the Wei Lab, I researched Alzheimer’s Disease mechanisms and explored potential treatments with dantrolene. In the Meaney Lab, I utilized traumatic brain injury models to investigate injury pathology and brain recovery. My interests also extend to medical devices and stem cell research. Beyond research, I'm actively involved in the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), Pennsori (a cappella group), Penn American Red Cross (PARC), and Penn Minhuet. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions, concerns, or just want to chat!

• Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring (PURM) Program in Wei Lab, Department of Anesthesiology, Perelman School of Medicine. Investigated the role of intracellular Ca2+ dysregulation in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and the effect of intranasal administration of dantrolene and lithium on AD mice.
• Rachleff Scholar in Meaney Lab, Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania. Analyzed microglia using ImageJ to understand how preconditioning impacts microglial response to Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and potential improvement of cognition. Conducted mice behavior tests (fear conditioning, object recognition, open field) to investigate the effects of TBI modeled by ibotenic acid injection, which produces excitotoxic lesions, on various regions of the brain, and create injury models.
• Presented at CURF research symposium (2023), Annual MINS symposium (2024), REU Research Symposium (2024)