Joon Hyeok Kim
Always enthusiastically, considerately, and jocundly!
Publications
Grokking of Diffusion Models: Case Study on Modular Addition
Joon Hyeok Kim, Yong-Hyun Park, Mattis Dalsætra Østby, Jiatao Gu
· ICLR 2026 DeLTa Workshop [Open Review]
2026
Experience
Generative Machine Learning Research Lab
Supervised by Prof. Jiatao Gu
· Grokking of Diffusion Models: Case Study on Modular Addition (2026): Co-led research on Rectified Flow models (DiT backbone) by implementing training framework and conducting mechanistic interpretability (MI) analysis during inference to investigate grokking and algorithmic phase transitions.
· Literature Review and Theoretical Framework Design: Conducting extensive literature review and theoretical analysis on Discrete Diffusion (CTMC) and Flow Matching (e.g., DFM, Editflow) to propose efficient multi-token prediction frameworks within AutoRegressive structures.
Aug. 2025 - Present
Junior ERP Software Engineer
LG CNS
· Managed system integration and ERP development for the LG Electronics Global ERP (GERP) system. · Developed PL/SQL procedures and Java applications; designed RDBMS structures and optimized complex queries for enterprise-level performance.
Jul. 2019 - Jul. 2024
Military Service
ROK Army
· Proudly discharged as a sergeant
· Specialty in information tactics, signal corps, and mid-sized military vehicle driving
· Squad Leader of the Information and Tactics Squad, 53rd Logistics Support Group
Dec. 2013 - Oct. 2015
Education
University of Pennsylvania
Master of Computer and Infomration Technology
· CGPA: 4.0/4.0
Aug. 2024 - May 2026
Sogang University
Bachelor of Economics
· CGPA: 4.04/4.3
· Ranked 2nd out of 102
· Summa Cum Laude
· Financial Economics Track
Feb. 2013 - Feb. 2019
Pennsylvania State University
International Exchange Student Program
Jan. 2017 - Apr. 2017
Skills
Programming Languages & Tools
· ML Packages: PyTorch, Slurm, Wandb, GPyTorch, BoTorch, PyMoo
· Programming Languages: Python, PL/SQL, C/C++, Java, JavaScript, R
· Database Management: Oracle DBMS, MariaDB, MongoDB
· Tools: Linux, AWS Cloud, Microsoft Azure, Docker, Django, Stata, Oracle ERP
Portfolio
Interests
I’m an outdoor enthusiast at heart. Whether it’s bikepacking through forest trails or going on long-distance treks with my gravel bike, I love the freedom of the open road. Lately, I’ve also been heavily focused on boxing. I’m training hard to step into the ring for my first official match as soon as I’m ready!
Awards & Certifications
- 1 st NSF HDR ML Hackathon University of Pennsylvania, Dec. 2024
-
Global Korea Scholarship, Ministry of Education, Republic of Korea, Jul. 2023
- Certified Solutions Architect - Associate (SAA-C03), Jul. 2023
- Microsoft Azure: AI Fundamentals (AI-900), Microsoft 2023
- Oracle Database 12c Administrator Certified Professional, Oracle University 2019
- 1 st Place - LG CNS - Bootcamp Webservice Contest 2019
- 2 nd Place - Korea Productivity Center - Big Data Analysis Contest 2019