Research Interests

• Physical phenomena & mathematical modeling in biology & medicine: Theoretical & experimental approaches to soft & biosystems.

• Healthcare applications particularly for pharmaceutical technology, toxicological science, tissue engineering, and biosensors.

Current Positions

• Project Leader (AI Convergence Cluster) @ KIST Europe (Saarbrücken, Germany) [since 2018]

• Associate Professor @ Division of Energy & Environment Technology, University of Science & Technology [UST] (Daejeon, South Korea) [since 2020]

Education

• Ph.D. @ Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Paris XI (2011) [Advisor: Dr. Françoise Livolant]

• Ph.D. @ Department of Physics, Seoul National University (2010) [Advisor: Prof. Kwang-Sup Soh]

• M.Sc. @ Department of Physics, Seoul National University (2005)

• B.Sc.  @ Department of Physics, Seoul National University (2002)

Professional Career

• 2018 - 2018: Research Fellow @ School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham (Birmingham, UK)

• 2015 - 2017: Research Associate @ CRPP, University of Bordeaux (Pessac, France)

• 2013 - 2015: Postdoc @ Liquid Crystal Institute & Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University (Kent, OH, USA)

• 2012 - 2012: Postdoc @ Centre de Recherche Paul Pascal - CNRS (Pessac, France)

Visiting Research

• Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Yonsei University (Seoul, South Korea; 2013 & 2018)

• Sector of Biological & Soft Systems, Cavendish Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge (Cambridge, UK; 2007)

Distinctions, Memberships & Editorships

• Nomination for the Lush Science Prize 2022 (Lush Cosmetics, Poole Dorset, UK)

• Editorial Board: Data in Brief (Elsevier / 2020 - present) and PLOS ONE (Public Library of Science / 2023 - present)

• Member: European Society for Mathematical & Theoretical Biology (2020 - present)

• « Bourses Blaise Pascal » (Government of France, 2008-2009)

• Seoul Science Fellowship (Seoul Metropolitan Government, 2006-2007)

Teaching

• Applied Mathematics & Statistics for Data Analysis (UST / Spring Semester, since 2020)

• Environmental Biophysics (UST-KIST / Fall Semester, 2020-2023)

• Environmental Biophysics and Bioenergetics (UST-KIST / Spring Semester, since 2024)

• Field Research: Microfluidic Cytotoxicity Screening (UST-KIST / Spring Semester, since 2021)

• Seminar on Environment (UST-KIST / Spring Semester, since 2021)

Recent Publication (2014-): Journal Articles

[25] Mohizin A & Sung B*: Biophysical simulation of transcutaneous drug delivery for the rational design of hollow microneedle-based insulin infusion. Computers in Biology & Medicine 193, 110365 (2025)

[24] Abelmann L, Gwag E, Sung B: Permanent magnet systems to study the interaction between magnetic nanoparticles and cells in microslide channels. Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials 591, 171696 (2024)

[23] Sung B*: In silico modeling of endocrine organ-on-a-chip systems. Mathematical Biosciences 352, 108900 (2022)

[22] Sung B*†, Kim D-H†, Kim M-H†, Vigolo D: Combined effect of matrix topography and stiffness on neutrophil shape and motility. Advanced Biology 6, 2101312 (2022) [Highlighted as the Front Cover]

[21] Cho H, Seol Y, Baik S, Sung B, Ryu CS, Kim YJ: Mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate modulates lipid accumulation and reproductive signaling in Daphnia magna. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 29, 55639-50 (2022)

[20] Park CG, Ryu CS, Sung B, Manz A, Kong H, Kim YJ: Transcriptomic and physiological analysis of endocrine disrupting chemicals impacts on 3D zebrafish liver cell culture system. Aquatic Toxicology 245, 106105 (2022)

[19] Sung B & Abelmann L: Agglomeration structure of superparamagnetic nanoparticles in a nematic liquid crystal medium: image analysis datasets based on cryo-electron microscopy and polarised optical microscopy techniques. Data in Brief 34, 106716 (2021)

[18] Sung B, Kim M-H, Abelmann L: Magnetic microgels and nanogels: physical mechanisms and biomedical applications. Bioengineering and Translational Medicine 6, e10190 (2021)

[17] Sung B*: Mathematical modeling of a temperature-sensitive and tissue-mimicking gel matrix: solving the Flory-Huggins equation for an elastic ternary mixture system. Mathematical Methods in the Applied Sciences 43, 10637-45 (2020) [Highlighted as the Front Cover]

[16] Sung B*, Yan H, Kim C, Abelmann L: Inhomogeneous nematic-isotropic phase transition of a thermotropic liquid crystal doped with iron oxide nanoparticles. Physics Letters A 384, 126927 (2020)

[15] Baek MJ, Son J, Park J, Seol Y, Sung B, Kim YJ: Quantitative prediction of mixture toxicity of AgNO3 and ZnO nanoparticles on Daphnia magna. Science & Technology of Advanced Materials 21, 333-45 (2020)

[14] Park CG, Sung B, Ryu CS, Kim YJ: Mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate induces oxidative stress and lipid accumulation in zebrafish liver cells. Comparative Biochemistry & Physiology Part C: Toxicology & Pharmacology 230, 108704 (2020)

[13] Sung B, Wensink HH, Grelet E: Depletion-driven morphological transitions in hexagonal crystallites of virus rods. Soft Matter 15, 9520-7 (2019)

[12] Bohlen M-L, Jeon HP, Kim YJ, Sung B*: In silico modeling method for computational aquatic toxicology of endocrine disruptors: a software-based approach using QSAR Toolbox. Journal of Visualized Experiments 150, e60054 (2019)

[11] Park C-B, Jung J-W, Baek M, Sung B, Park J-W, Seol Y, Yeom D-H, Park J-W, Kim YJ: Mixture toxicity of metal oxide nanoparticles and silver ions on Daphnia magna. Journal of Nanoparticle Research 21, 166 (2019)

[10] Sung B, Krieger J, Yu B, Kim M-H: Colloidal gelatin microgels with tunable elasticity support the viability and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells under pro-inflammatory conditions. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A 106A, 2753-61 (2018)

[09] Sung B, de la Cotte A, Grelet E: Chirality-controlled crystallization via screw dislocations. Nature Communications 9, 1405 (2018)

[08] Sung B & Kim M-H: Liquid-crystalline nanoarchitectures for tissue engineering. Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology 9, 205-15 (2018)

[07] Sung B, Kim M, Kim MS, Lee J-K, Soh K-S: Quantitative real-time imaging of nanofluid convection-diffusion in the planar skin layer in vivo. Biomedical Physics & Engineering Express 3, 015024 (2017)

[06] Sung B, Leforestier A, Livolant F: Coexistence of coil and globule domains within a single confined DNA chain. Nucleic Acids Research 44, 1421-7 (2016)

[05] Sung B†, Shaffer S†, Sittek M†, Alboslemy T, Kim C, Kim M-H: Alternating magnetic field-responsive hybrid gelatin microgels for controlled drug release. Journal of Visualized Experiments 108, e53680 (2016)

[04] Sung B, Kim SH, Lee S, Lim J, Lee J-K, Soh K-S: Nanofluid transport in a living soft microtube. Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics 48, 345402 (2015)

[03] Sung B, Kim C, Kim M-H: Biodegradable colloidal microgels with tunable thermosensitive volume phase transitions for controllable drug delivery. Journal of Colloid & Interface Science 450, 26-33 (2015)

[02] Yan H, Sung B, Kim M-H, Kim C: A novel strategy for functionalizable photoluminescent magnetic nanoparticles. Materials Research Express 1, 045032 (2014)

[01] Sung B, Kim SH, Lee J-K, Lee B-C, Soh K-S: Electromechanical method coupling non-invasive skin impedance probing and in vivo subcutaneous liquid microinjection: controlling the diffusion pattern of nanoparticles within living soft tissues. Biomedical Microdevices 16, 645-53 (2014)

Recent Publication (2014-): Proceeding Papers

[02] Mohizin A, Won Y, Sung B*: Thermally driven sol-gel transition of gelatin in a 3D-printed microfluidic chip. Proceedings of IEEE Sensors 2023, Oct-Nov. 2023, pp. 1-4

[01] O'Connor JS, Kim H, Gwag E, Abelmann L, Sung B*, Manz A*: 3D printing for microgel-based liver cell encapsulation. Proceedings of the 34th IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS), Jan. 2021, pp. 1023-6

Recent Publication (2014-): Book Chapters

[04] Lee RK & Sung B*: Computational Modelling of Skin Sensitisation of Chemicals. In: Roy K (ed.): Cheminformatic Modelling and Data Gap Filling for a Green and Sustainable Environment. (Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2026) [in press]

[03] Sung B*: Biomaterials and Microfluidics Systems Used for Modeling Pathological Tissues. In: Kumar A, Dhinasekaran D, Savina I, Han SS (eds.): Functional Biomaterials: Advances in Design and Biomedical Applications. (CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2023) pp. 289-308 (Chapter 14)

[02] Lee YO* & Sung B*: In Silico Platforms for Predictive Ecotoxicology: From Machine Learning to Deep Learning. In: Roy K (ed.): Chemometrics and Cheminformatics in Aquatic Toxicology. (Wiley, Hoboken, NJ, 2022) pp. 453-71 (Chapter 23)

[01] Sung B & Kim M-H: Cell-Encapsulating Polymeric Microgels for Tissue Repair. In: Khang G (ed.): Handbook of Intelligent Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine. (2nd edition; Pan Stanford Publishing, Singapore, 2017) pp. 369-89 (Chapter 14)

Recent Patents (2014-)

[02] Mohizin A & Sung B: An electric power source-free microsensor for detecting high-frequency alternating magnetic fields. (European Patent Office, Application No. 23169022.3, Oct. 23, 2024)

[01] O'Connor JS, Manz A, Sung B: Monodisperse microdroplet producing device and method of producing the same. (European Patent Office, Patent No. 4 154 972, Nov. 20, 2024)

Co-workers

Manon Hallier: Intern (12/02/2024 - 12/04/2024)

Yujeong Won: Intern (06/02/2023 - 31/07/2023)

Abdul Mohizin: Postdoctoral Fellow (01/01/2023 - 31/12/2024)

Ahmed Musa: Research Assistant (16/05/2022 - 31/07/2023) - Poster & Short Talk Awards (2nd prize): Data Science Week 2022 (Purdue University, Fort Wayne, IN, USA)

Nina Apushkinskaya: Research Assistant (01/03/2021 - 31/01/2022) - M.Sc. defended @ Hochschule Fulda (Advisors: Prof. M. Diakité & Dr. B. Sung)

Eunheui Gwag: Ph.D. Student [Dr. Y.J. Kim] (09/03/2020 - 16/08/2021)

Heesoo Kim: Intern [Dr. Y.J. Kim] (17/02/2020 - 31/07/2020)

Ryung Kyung Lee: Intern (17/02/2020 - 31/07/2020)

Jonathan Soren O'Connor: Ph.D. Student [Prof. A. Manz] (13/12/2019 - 17/08/2022)

Jihoon Park: Postdoctoral Fellow (01/09/2019 - 20/07/2020)

Estelle Regnault: Intern (07/07/2019 - 01/09/2019)

Margaux Delafosse: Intern (01/07/2019 - 01/09/2019)

Seongho Jeong: Intern (03/06/2019 - 31/10/2019) - Best Poster Award: Europe-Korea Conference on Science & Technology 2019 (Vienna, Austria)

Ki Eun Kim: Postdoctoral Fellow (... 08/05/2019 - 15/11/2019)

Jasmin Gebauer-Barrett: Intern (06/05/2019 - 31/08/2019)

Marie-Léonie Bohlen: Researcher (... 01/12/2018 - 08/04/2020)

*Last updated: 22/05/2025 [성백경 / 한국과학기술연구원 유럽연구소 - 과학기술연합대학원대학교]