KK.

Biomedical engineering · Medicine · Biotechnology

Kenny KimMD candidate,
PhD

Byungchan Kenny Kim

Understanding the brain.
Building tools to study it.

I’m a biomedical engineer, MD candidate, and entrepreneur. My work connects optical neuroimaging, bedside research, and the evaluation of emerging biotechnology.

Explore my work Google Scholar
Research focus / 01
Opening a window into the brain and mind A conceptual human profile contains a connected brain network. Optical sensing, electrical recording, and imaging offer complementary windows into brain activity. Below, measurements connect through models to questions about perception, memory, and intention. This illustrates a research direction, not demonstrated thought decoding. Opticalsensing Electricalrecording Imaging A window into the mind Perception · Memory · Intention MEASUREMENTSMODELSCOGNITION
Accessing the brain. Understanding the mind.Complementary measurements, connected through modelsConceptual research direction
PhD, Biomedical EngineeringMD candidate · Expected 2027A little more about me

01 / About

From a scientific question
to a clinical tool.

I study how the brain works—and how better measurements can help us understand it.

I earned my PhD in Biomedical Engineering at Boston University in May 2025 and am completing my MD, expected in May 2027. My research has focused on cerebral blood flow, optical sensing, and the relationship between neural activity and hemodynamics.

That work has taken me from optical systems and quantitative analysis to neurocritical care studies. Alongside research and clinical training, I’ve co-founded a sleep apnea screening startup and explored how biomedical technologies can move toward clinical use.

Education

Expected 2027

Doctor of MedicineBoston University · MD candidate

2025

PhD, Biomedical EngineeringBoston University

2017

BS, Biomedical EngineeringWashington University in St. Louis

02 / Research & experience

A closer look at the work.

Instrumentation → analysis → clinical research
Feb 2026 — Apr 2026

Baker Brothers Investments

Staff Scientist interview
Scientific diligence case study

Evaluating emerging therapies

As part of the interview process for a Staff Scientist role, I evaluated emerging disease-modifying therapies in neurology and oncology.

The work included reviewing mechanisms of action, target engagement, clinical trial design, primary literature, and expert perspectives to assess technical risks and competitive landscapes.

Scientific diligenceClinical trial designLiterature review
Sep 2021 — Apr 2025

Boston University

Doctoral research
Biomedical Engineering

Optical tools for cerebral blood flow monitoring

In collaboration with Meta’s Reality Labs, I engineered a fiber-based speckle contrast optical spectroscopy (SCOS) system for continuous human cerebral blood flow monitoring.

  • Led a cross-functional study in a neurocritical care unit to investigate correlates of coma recovery using compact blood flow monitors.
  • Developed an end-to-end analysis pipeline for blood flow index estimation, improving the accuracy of speckle contrast estimates.
Biomedical opticsClinical validationQuantitative modeling
Nov 2014 — Jun 2019

Washington University
in St. Louis

Research Assistant

Connecting neural activity and brain hemodynamics

I investigated neurovascular coupling and functional connectivity decline in aging and stroke models using optical hemodynamics, and identified ECoG signal patterns that distinguish anesthesia from natural sleep.

Neurovascular couplingElectrophysiologySignal processing

03 / Selected publications

Research in print.

Full publication list
  1. 2025
    Communications Biology

    Mapping human cerebral blood flow with high-density, multi-channel speckle contrast optical spectroscopy

  2. 2024
    Cell Reports

    Spatiotemporal relationships between neuronal, metabolic, and hemodynamic signals in the awake and anesthetized mouse brain

  3. 2023
    Communications Biology

    Measuring human cerebral blood flow and brain function with fiber-based speckle contrast optical spectroscopy system

  4. 2018
    NeuroImage

    Distinct phase-amplitude couplings distinguish cognitive processes in human attention

04 / Beyond the lab

Building, teaching,
and translating.

Selected honors

School of Engineering Best Dissertation Award 2025

sfNIRS Student Fellow Award 2024

01

Entrepreneurship

Co-founded a home-based sleep apnea screening startup and secured $40,000 in initial funding through Washington University’s Discovery Competition.

02

Technology commercialization

As an incubator participant at MIT’s The Engine, evaluated the commercialization potential of cerebral blood flow monitoring for Alzheimer’s disease, with a focus on long-term clinical trial strategy.

03

Mentorship & teaching

Supervised a four-student senior design team through a full project lifecycle, and led discussion lectures and grading for Computational Linear Algebra for two consecutive years.

Methods & tools

Python · MATLAB · Statistical analysis · Biomedical optics · Neuroimaging · Electrophysiology · Clinical research · Scientific diligence · REDCap · GPU computing

05 / Connect

Let’s start a conversation.

For conversations about research, biomedical technology, and scientific collaboration.

kennykim@bu.edu LinkedIn Google Scholar