Paul, born in Seoul, South Korea, but raised in Manila, Philippines, developed a deep fascination with robots, cars, and electronics during his childhood and teenage years. This early interest led him to pursue a career as a mechanical engineer, driven by a desire for hands-on experience in designing and crafting physical structures. His primary area of interest lies in the field of dynamics and aerodynamics, particularly as applied to robotics.

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Paul's engineering journey has been marked by a continuous pursuit of innovation and discovery. During his internship with Samsung, he made significant contributions to the development of cutting-edge technologies for upcoming mobile devices. Notably, he designed an acrylic gas chamber for environmental measurements and developed a portable ECG sensor-equipped device for heart function assessment.

 

In his earlier experience at the University of Illinois BAM Lab during his undergraduate years, Paul was involved in creating an innovative testing system for ornithopters and fabricating synthetic foam wings with alula attachments for mini-scale RC aircraft. Upon transitioning to the role of Graduate Research Assistant at the same institution, he undertook the design of a variable stiffness multi-winglet device inspired by Harris' hawk feathers, with the goal of improving mini-scale aircraft aerodynamics. Paul also conducted wind tunnel experiments to measure aerodynamic forces generated by wings at low Reynolds numbers. His work extended to organizing procedures for analyzing the morphological characteristics of Dissosteira carolina grasshopper wings, which ultimately contributed to the design of a bio-inspired glider.

 

Later at Princeton University, Paul's engineering expertise found another outlet as he engineered a glider inspired by the wing structures of Schistocerca americana grasshoppers. He used X-ray microscopy to simplify models for insect-scale robotics applications. Throughout his journey, Paul's work has consistently demonstrated his passion for mechanical engineering, characterized by exploration, innovation, and an unwavering curiosity, with each project contributing to his growing expertise in the field.

 

Outside of research, Paul enjoys golf, baseball, and travelling to new places.