Curriculum Vitae

Educations

Kyung Hee University – Ph.D.: Mar. 2018 ~ Feb. 2024.

• Advisor: Distinguished professor ChangKyoo Yoo 

• Research on

  • • Water AI - Predictive maintenance and autonomous operation

    • Decarbonization in chemical, energy, and environmental systems

    • Autonomous control, scheduling, and operation in environmental process systems

Kyung Hee University – BSc: Mar. 2012 ~ Feb. 2018

• Advisor: Distinguished professor ChangKyoo Yoo 

Experiences

Kangwon National University - Associate professor: Mar. 2025 ~ 

Imperial College London - Research associate: July 2024 ~ Feb. 2025

• Advisor: Chair Prof. Evina Katsou

  • • • Circular water economy, Digital water, TEA, LCA

University of Southern California  – Research scholar: June 2023 ~ Nov. 2023 

• Host: Prof. Jay H. Lee 

• Research on

  • • Battery status monitoring

    • Hydrogen supply chain optimization

  • Supported by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy
    (Program for Fostering Innovative Global Leaders with Advanced Manufacturing Technologies)

Honors

Deputy Prime Minister’s commendation (Korean government)

• Outstanding graduate student in Korea (2023) 

First scholarship candidate for Kyung Hee Honor Young Scholar Society (KHYSS) 

• Extraordinary scholarship to fund the emerging young researcher who shall academically stand for the Kyung Hee university in future. ($ 18K per year)

Minister of the Environment's Award (환경부장관상)

• A global assessment of public perceptions in social media to evaluate the relationship between climate changes and natural events using big data-based machine learning techniques, Best oral presentation award, 2018 symposium of the Korean Society of Climate Change Research. (2018)

Editor’s Choice (Co-first author)

• Dual-objective optimization for energy-saving and fouling mitigation in MBR plants using influent prediction and an integrated biological-physical model, Journal of Membrane Science (ISSN: 0376-7388, IF=7.183, JCR Top 3 %) (2021)

Editor’s Choice (Co-first author)

• An autonomous operational trajectory searching system for an economic and environmental membrane bioreactor plant using deep reinforcement learning, Water Science and Technology (ISSN:0273-1223, SCIE), International Water Association(IWA) (2020)

Best Oral Presentation Award

• Real-scale demonstration of two-stage AMX® digital twins with AI-driven control policy optimization under enriching nitrogen loads (Korean Society of Water Environment) (2024.03)

Research fields

• Environmental process systems engineering.

• Autonomous AI/ Reinforcement learning-based monitoring, control, and optimization.

• Energy AI / Industrial decarbonization.

• Data-driven forecasting and scheduling of variable renewable energy potentials

• Big-data and process systems analysis.

• Semi-supervised learning driven qualitative data augmentation.

1st-Author SCI publications (†: Co-first author): 14 papers

1.  HeeJu Song+, TaeYong Woo+, SangYoun Kim, ChanHyeok Jeong , MinHan Kim, SungKu Heo**, ChangKyoo Yoo*, Predictive monitoring of wastewater treatment performance: Seasonal microbial activity and data-informed water quality model, Journal of Water Process Engineering (ISSN: 2214-7144, SCIE, JCR TOP 10%: Water Resources), Elsevier, (), pp.(2025. 4)

2.  SungKu Heo†, Taeseok Oh†, TaeYong Woo, SangYoon Kim, Yunkyu Choi, Minseok Park, Jeonghoon Kim, ChangKyoo Yoo*, Real-scale demonstration of two-stage AMX® digital twins with AI-driven control policy optimization under enriching nitrogen loads, Desalination (ISSN:0011-9164, SCI, Top 5% journal - Water Resource), Elsevier, 593(1), pp.118235​  ​(2025.1)

3. ChanHyeok Jeong, SungKu Heo**, TaeYong Woo , SangYoun Kim, and ChangKyoo Yoo* AI-driven ventilation control policy proximal optimization coupled with dynamic-informed real-time model calibration for 6 healthy and sustainable indoor PM2.5 management, Energy and Buildings (ISSN: 0378-7788​​​, JCR TOP10% journal), Elsevier,323(11), pp. 114786(2024.11)

4. SungKu Heo†, KiJeon Nam, SangYoun Kim, and ChangKyoo Yoo*​, XRL-FlexSBR: Multi-agent reinforcement learning-driven flexible SBR control with explainable performance guarantee under diverse influent condition, Journal of Water Process Engineering (ISSN: 2214-7144, SCIE, JCR TOP 10%: Water Resources), Elsevier, (), pp.(2024.09)

5. SungKu Heo†, Jaewon Byun†, Pouya Ifaei, Soonho Hwangbo, Changkyoo Yoo, Towards mega-scale decarbonized industrial park (Mega-DIP): AI-driven techno-economic and environmental assessment of renewable and sustainable energy utilization in petrochemical industry, Renewable and sustainable energy reviews, (2024.01)

6. SangYoun Kim†, SungKu Heo†, KiJeon Nam†, TaeYong Woo, ChangKyoo Yoo, Flexible renewable energy planning based on multi-step forecasting of interregional electricity supply and demand: Graph-enhanced AI approach, Energy (ISSN: 0360-5442, SCI, Top 5% journal – THERMODYNAMICS), Elsevier, 282(1), pp.128858 (2023.11)

7. SungKu Heo†, Juin Yau Lim†, SangYoun Kim, TaeYong Woo, TaeSeok Oh, Hai-Tra Nguyen, Usman Safder, ChangKyoo Yoo*, End-to-End Autonomous and Resilient Operability Strategy of Industrial-Scale PN-SBR System: From Influent Augmentation to AI-Aided Optimal Control and Scheduling, (2023.07)

8. SungKu Heo, Jaerak Ko, SangYoun Kim, Chanhyeok Jeong, Soonho Hwangbo*, ChangKyoo Yoo*, Explainable AI-driven net-zero carbon roadmap for petrochemical industry considering stochastic scenarios of remotely sensed offshore wind energy, Journal of Cleaner Production (ISSN:0959-6526, SCIE, Top 7% journal:Engineering Civil), 379(2), pp.134793 (2022.12)

9. SungKu Heo, Juin Yau Lim, Roberto Chang, Yerim Shim, Pouya Ifaei, and ChangKyoo Yoo*, Non-Gaussian multivariate statistical monitoring of spatio-temporal wind speed frequencies to improve wind power quality in South Korea, Journal of Environmental Management (ISSN:0301-4797, SCI, Top 12% journal – ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES), Elsevier, 318(9), pp.115516 (2022.9)

10. SungKu Heo†, KiJeon Nam†, TaeYong Woo and Chang Kyoo Yoo*, Digitally-transformed early-warning protocol for membrane cleaning based on a fouling-cumulative sum chart: Application to a full-scale MBR plant, Journal of Membrane Science (ISSN: ISSN: 0376-7388, IF=8.7, JCR Top 3.4%), 643(3), pp.120080 (2022.3) 

11. Soonho Hwangbo†, SungKu Heo† and ChangKyoo Yoo*, Development of deterministic-stochastic model to integrate variable renewable energy-driven electricity and large-scale utility networks: Towards decarbonization petrochemical industry, Energy (ISSN: 0360-5442, SCI, Top 5% journal – THERMODYNAMICS), Elsevier, 238(1), pp.122006 (2022.1)

12. SungKu Heo, KiJeon Nam, Jorge Loy-Benitez, ChangKyoo Yoo*, Data-Driven Hybrid Model for Forecasting Wastewater Influent Loads Based on Multimodal and Ensemble Deep Learning, IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics (ISSN:1551-3203, SCI, IF = 10.2, Top 1 journal: Engineering Industrial), IEEE, 17(10), pp.6925-6934, (2021.10)

13. SungKu Heo†, KiJeon Nam†, Jorge Loy-Benitez, Qian Li, SeungChul Lee, ChangKyoo Yoo*, A deep reinforcement learning-based autonomous ventilation control system for smart indoor air quality management in a subway station, Energy and Buildings(ISSN: 0378-7788, IF=4.867, JCR Top 3% journal - Engineering, Civil), Elsevier, 202(10), 109440(pp.1-16) (2019)

14. KiJeon Nam†, SungKu Heo†, GaHee Rhee, MinJeong Kim, ChangKyoo Yoo, Dual-objective optimization for energy-saving and fouling mitigation in MBR plants using AI-based influent prediction and an integrated biological-physical model, Journal of Membrane Science(ISSN: 0376-7388, IF=7.183, JCR Top 3% Journal – POLYMER SCIENCE), Elsevier, 626, pp.119208 (2021) - Editor’s choice

15. KiJeon Nam†, SungKu Heo†, Qian Li, Jorge Loy-Benitez, MinJeong Kim, DuckShin Park, ChangKyoo Yoo, A proactive energy-efficient optimal ventilation system using deep learning and AI-iterative dynamic programming under outdoor air quality conditions, Applied Energy (ISSN: 0306-2619, IF=8.848, JCR Top 3% journal - ENGINEERING, CHEMICAL), Elsevier, 266, pp.114893 (2020)

16. SungKu Heo†, KiJeon Nam†, Shahzeb Tariq, Juin Yau Lim, Junkyu Park, Chang Kyoo Yoo, A hybrid machine learning–based multi-objective supervisory control strategy of a full-scale wastewater treatment for cost-effective and sustainable operation under varying influent conditions, Journal of Cleaner Production (ISSN:0959-6526, IF=7.246, JCR Top 7% journal - ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES), Elsevier, (2021)

17. SungKu Heo†, Usman Safder†, ChangKyoo Yoo, Deep learning driven QSAR model for environmental toxicology: effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals on human health, Environmental Pollution (ISSN: 0269-7491, IF=6.793, JCR Top 8% journal - ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES), Elsevier, 253(10), pp.29-38 (2019)

18. KiJeon Nam†, SungKu Heo†, Jorge Loy-Benitez, Pouya Ifeai, SeungChul Lee, SunKi Kang, ChangKyoo Yoo*, An autonomous operational trajectory searching system for an economic and environmental membrane bioreactor plant using deep reinforcement learning, Water Science and Technology, (2020)-Editor’s choice

19. Paulina Vilela†, SungKu Heo†, Soonho Hwangbo, ChangKyoo Yoo, Optimal utility supply network under demand uncertainty for operational risk assessment on a petrochemical industrial park, The Korean J. of Chemical Engineering (ISSN: 0256-1115), (2020)

International conferences

1. SungKu Heo, TaeYong Woo, SangYoun Kim, and ChangKyoo Yoo*, XAI-ASSISTED MULTI-AGENT DEEP REINFORCEMENT LEARNING FOR A GUARANTEED AUTONOMOUS CONTROL SYSTEM OF SEQUENCING BATCH REACTOR FOR SUSTAINABLE WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT, FOCAPO/CPC 2023, Poster presentation, San Antonio, United Sates, (2023.01.08~2023.01.12) 

2. Sungku Heo, Sangyoun Kim, Taeyong Woo, Soonho Hwangbo, Changkyoo Yoo*, Mega-scale decarbonized industrial park (Mega-DIP): Development of flexible renewable energy grid networks in petrochemical industry using multi-stage stochastic optimization, 25th Conference on Process Integration for Energy Saving and Pollution Reduction – PRES'22, pp.21, Oral presentation (On-site), Bol, Croatia, (2022.09.05-2022.09.08) 

3.  SungKu Heo, Soonho Hwangbo, Mohammad Moosazadeh, Shahzeb Tariq, Roberto Chang, Juin Yau Lim, ChangKyoo Yoo*, Net-zero Carbon Roadmap Guided by AI-driven Spatio-temporal Prediction and Sustainable Assessments for CO2 Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) Techniques Targeting Petrochemical Industry, 24th Conference on Process Integration, Modelling and Optimisation for Energy Saving and Pollution Reduction (PRES’21), P.397, Oral presentation (Online), Brno, Czech Republic, (2021.10.31-2021.11.03)

4. SungKu Heo, K. Nam, T. Woo, P. Ifaei, J. Loy-Benitez, C. Yoo*, A non-Gaussian multivariate statistical monitoring of spatio-temporal wind speed frequency towards renewable energy quality improvement in South Korea, 16th Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems (SDEWES2021), pp., Oral presentation(Online​)​, Dubrovnik, Croatia (2021.10.10-15). 

5. SungKu Heo, Soonho Hwangbo, KiJeon Nam, Juin Yau Lim, JunKyu Park, & ChangKyoo Yoo*, Optimal Utility Network Design for Sustainable Petrochemical Industrial Park Considering the Transition of Renewable Energy Deployment in South Korea. PRES20, 23rd Conference on Process Integration, Modelling, and Optimisation for Energy Saving and Pollution Reduction, pp. 47, Oral presentation, Xi’an (Virtual), China (17th-21st May 2020)

6. SungKu Heo, KJ Nam, J Loy, GH Rhee, SC Lee, SK Kang, SH Hwangbo and CK Yoo*, Deep learning-driven multi-step forecasting model for influent loads of a municipal wastewater plant under climate change, 10th IWA Symposium on Modeling and Integrated Assessment(WATERMATEX2019), pp.33-40, Oral presentation, Denmark Technical University (DTU), Denmark (1st-4th Sep. 2019)

7. SungKu Heo, Soonho Hwangbo, KiJeon Nam, Kang Wei Tan, Usman Safder, ChangKyoo Yoo*, Deep learning driven QSAR model for environment toxicology: effect of endocrine disrupting chemicals to human health, Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Asia-Pacific 2018 Conference (SETAC AP 2018), pp 73-75, poster resentation, Daegu, (16th-19th Sep. 2018)

8. SungKu Heo, Seungchul Lee, Soonho Hwangbo, Changkyoo Yoo*, A systematic optimization technique of N2O pinch analysis for minimization of N2O emission and operating cost of wastewater treatment plants, Singapore International Water Week 2018 (SIWW2018), Singapore, (08th-12nd July 2018)

9. SungKu Heo†, Paulina Vilela†, and ChangKyoo Yoo*, Risk Quotient Ranking Approach based on computational toxicology for Assessment of Ecological Risks by Pesticides, 11th International Symposium on Green Energy, pp. 43, Yongin, South Korea, poster presentation, (22nd-23rd Sep. 2017)

Patents

1. ChangKyoo Yoo and SungKu Heo, VENTILATION SYSTEM OF SUBWAY STATION AND METHOD THEROF, 10-2019-0076226, South Korea

2. ChangKyoo Yoo and SungKu Heo, A METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MODELING A COMPUTATIONAL TOXICOLOGY BASED ON DEEP NEURAL NETWORK FOR EVALUATING AN EFFECT OF ENDOCRINE DISRUPTING CHEMICALS ON HUMAN HEALTH, KR 10-2440482, South Korea

3. ChangKyoo Yoo, SungKu Heo, and Jorge Loy-Benitez, VENTILATION CONTROLLING APPARATUS AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING VENTILATION APPARATUS BY CORRECTING MISSING DATA BY USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENE, 10-2020-0162066, South Korea

4. ChangKyoo Yoo, SungKu Heo, and KiJeon Nam, Digitally-transformed early-warning protocol for membrane cleaning based on a fouling-cumulative sum, 10-2022-0030739

5. ChangKyoo Yoo, Jorge Loy-Benitez, and SungKu Heo, Multi-objective optimization of a time-delay compensated ventilation control system in a subway facility-A harmony search strategy, 10-2022-0020393

6. ChangKyoo Yoo, SungKu Heo, and KiJeon Nam, An intelligent protocol of multi-agent reinforcement learning- based autonomous model calibration for ASM-type model of membrane bioreactor, 10-2022-0025288

7. Changkyoo Yoo, Usman Safder, Jorge Loy-Benitez, Hoang Hai Tra Nguyen, SangYoun Kim, and SungKu Heo, APPARATUS FOR MONITORING BULKING OF SLUDGE BASED ON DEEP MACHINE LEARNING AND METHOD THEREOF, 10-2022-0055968