Dr. Donghoon Shin is an Associate Professor in the Department of Artificial Intelligence Engineering (Intelligent Control Systems Major) at Korea Maritime & Ocean University (KMOU), where he currently serves as Major Coordinator of the Intelligent Control Systems Major, after serving as Chair of the Department of AI Engineering (2025–2026). He directs RiMS (Research in Intelligent Mobility Systems), an interdisciplinary lab developing learning-based and Physical AI methods that bridge data-driven models with the physical dynamics of real-world machines — spanning autonomous vehicles, robotics, and maritime autonomous systems.

Since 2023 he has served as the National Representative of the Republic of Korea to the UNECE WP.29 Informal Working Group on Artificial Intelligence (IWG on AI), hosting the IWG plenary in Korea in February 2026. He was Vice Chairman (Academic Affairs) of the Korea Auto-Vehicle Safety Association (KASA), 2023–2025, and continues to serve on the boards of KASA and the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers (KSME).

Dr. Shin is a member of KMOU's Maritime SMR Promotion Team, a presidential-level initiative advancing small modular reactor technology for maritime and naval propulsion applications, including nuclear-powered submarines. Within this initiative his contribution is on the digital and AI safety side: AI-based safety assessment (AI Safety Case), digital twin and prognostics & health management (PHM), verification and validation of autonomous and remotely operated systems, and international regulation and standardization for AI and digital systems. Beyond the reactor technology itself, he works with the team on shaping the digital safety architecture and international certification framework for future maritime SMR vessels, and on building convergence research and education programs in AI, digital safety, and digital twin.

His core research interests include Physical AI and Real-to-Sim / Sim-to-Real digital twins, AI-driven PHM of safety-critical components using existing vehicle data only (no added sensors), human-centric automated driving and steer-by-wire control, explainable and certifiable AI (XAI) for safety-critical autonomy, and on-device / closed-network AI for defense and maritime environments.

Prior to KMOU, he was a Research Associate Professor and Director of the Intelligent Mobility Systems Lab at the Future Mobility Technology Center, Seoul National University; an Assistant Professor at Sookmyung Women's University; a Development Engineer at Mercedes-Benz R&D (Daimler AG), working on ADAS and highly automated driving for the next-generation S-Class (W223); and an Assistant Professor at the Republic of Korea Naval Academy during his military service as a naval officer. He received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Seoul National University (2017) under Prof. Kyongsu Yi, and his B.S. from the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities (2012).

He has authored 60+ peer-reviewed papers, holds US and Korean patents, and has received the Minister Award of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (2024) for contributions to human-centered future mobility, along with multiple grand prizes in national autonomous-driving competitions. His research is supported by Hyundai Motor Group, the ROK Navy, KATRI, NRF, and the Ministry of National Defense, and has been featured on KBS, Chosun Ilbo, JoongAng Ilbo, Maeil Business, and Hankyoreh.