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Michael Jong Kim (MIE, left) and Marianne Hatzopoulou (CivE, right) are the two newest professors to join the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering at U of T.

Students are not the only ones returning to class this week. U of T Engineering welcomes two new faculty members : professors Marianne Hatzopoulou (CivE) and Michael Jong Kim (MIE). They’re joining a talented and diverse group of professors who are leading pioneering research and inspiring the next generation of global engineering leaders.

Professor Hatzopoulou holds degrees in environmental technology and physics from the American University of Beirut. She completed her PhD in Urban Transportation Planning at the University of Toronto in 2008 and did postdoctoral work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She specializes in the modelling of road transport emissions and urban air quality as well as evaluating population exposure to air pollution.

Professor Jong Kim completed his PhD at U of T in 2012 and pursued post-graduate research at the University of California Berkeley and the National University of Singapore Business School. He specializes in statistical learning and the development of decision-making algorithms for industrial and corporate systems.

U of T Engineering spoke with the new professors to find out more about their research and what they’re looking forward to at U of T:


Could you explain the focus of your research?

MH: I study traffic-related air pollution. My research involves investigating how emissions are generated by on-road vehicles, how they disperse in urban environments and ultimately who is exposed. I try to understand how traffic patterns, road design and the characteristics of the built environment can be modified to improve air quality in urban areas. I collaborate with epidemiologists and health scientists in the development of tools that can help vulnerable individuals reduce their exposure.

MJK: My area of research is known as Operations Research (OR), which utilizes mathematical and statistical models to come up with optimal decisions and policies to help companies with their operational activities. One of the main application areas I am working in is data-driven physical asset management. That is, how can we use data to help companies manage their physical assets by prescribing recommendations such as which assets to purchase, when to maintain them, and how to estimate the end of their useful lives.

Why did you choose U of T?

MH: U of T is a vibrant, diverse and inspiring place to do research. I can collaborate with a wide range of researchers in transportation, the environment and health. The city of Toronto itself is also an ideal test bed for my research and provides a great environment for knowledge transfer.

MJK: U of T is one of the very best research universities in the world, with great students and research faculty. Also, it doesn’t hurt that I was born and raised in Toronto, so I’m excited to return after post-graduate work in the United States and Singapore.

What are you most looking forward to in your new position?

MH: I’m looking forward to collaborating with other faculty members, learning from world-class researchers and contributing to all aspects of academic life. But if I had to choose one aspect of my new position that I am looking forward to the most, it would be to meet the students. I am eager to teach my first lecture and to have students knocking at my door asking me about what I do and whether they can be part of it. I find it most rewarding when students become interested in my research and my courses and I am ready to challenge myself if they aren’t!

MJK: Interacting with my colleagues and students to discuss new and interesting ideas. I have also been appointed as the new director of the Centre for Maintenance Optimization and Reliability Engineering (C-MORE), which I am very excited about leading. C-MORE’s research is driven by close interactions with industry, in particular with industry consortium members and with researchers at universities world-wide.

As a new professor, what one piece of advice would you give to new students?

MH: Enjoy your time learning and accept your failures — they are also part of learning. Engage in research, even if it is for a course project; make it a point to explore a novel aspect of a subject. It helps you learn about how knowledge is created, it allows you see the limits of what we know and the realm of what we don’t know.

MJK: Take care. It’s very easy — especially for talented students — to simply “get by” during your time as a student. Caring about even the small things you do takes practice, and is the most effective way I know to find meaning in what you do.

What do you hope to accomplish during your time at U of T Engineering?

MH: I hope to continue pushing the envelope in my research area, to develop an interesting research program that attracts graduate students and provides new knowledge relevant to today’s challenges. I also hope to be a better teacher, to learn about how students learn and how they can get excited about learning, and to constantly adapt to a rapidly changing learning environment.

MJK: My primary goals are to set up a world-class research program that makes fundamental discoveries into the interplay between statistical learning (i.e. learning from data) and dynamic optimization (i.e. making adaptive decisions), and also to grow C-MORE to become the leading industry-academic institute for physical asset management.

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