CV
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Last updated: May 2026
Education
- Ph.D. in Civil Engineering (Transportation System Engineering), University at Buffalo, SUNY (Aug. 2026 – Present)
- Advisor: Dr. Austin Valentine Angulo, TRAVL Lab
- M.S. in Civil Engineering (Urban Engineering), Chung-Ang University, Seoul, South Korea (Mar. 2023 – Feb. 2025)
- Dissertation: Pedestrian Perception and Emotional Responses to Autonomous Vehicles — An Integrated Approach with Virtual Reality, Computer Vision, and Vital Signs Analysis
- Honors: Young Scholar Award, Lim Yong-taek Award for Excellent Paper Competition
- B.S. in Civil Engineering (Urban Design and Studies), Chung-Ang University, Seoul, South Korea (Mar. 2017 – Feb. 2023)
- Dissertation: A Study on Walkability and Gentrification by Opening up Korean Presidential Residence
- Honors: Recognized as an Excellent Graduate by the Urban Design Institute of Korea
Research Interests
Computer Vision · Human Factors · VR-based Behavioral Research · Vision-Language Models (VLM) for transportation · Pedestrian–AV Interaction
Skills
- Programming: Python, C#, C++, Julia
- AI / ML: PyTorch, Scikit-learn, OpenCV; Deep Learning, Reinforcement Learning, VLM
- Simulation: VR (Unity, Unreal Engine), VISSIM, SUMO
- Statistics: Mplus (SEM), SPSS, STATA
- GIS & Design: QGIS, ArcGIS, AutoCAD, SketchUp, Adobe Suite
Work Experience
- The Seoul Institute — Researcher (Oct. 2025 – June 2026)
- Analysis of Street Networks for Redevelopment Projects
- A Study on Preliminary Planning for Big Data and AI-driven Urban Planning Support in Seoul
- Chung-Ang University Industry-Academic Foundation — Researcher (Mar. 2025)
- Development of a Risk Perception and Behavior Prediction Model for Pedestrian Accident-Prone Areas
- Chung-Ang University — Researcher (Mar. 2023 – Feb. 2025)
- Development of Urban Planning Technology using Big Data and AI
- Development of a Pedestrian Environment Assessment System for a Super-Aged Society
- Development of Strategies for Creating Age-Friendly Cities (Lead student researcher)
- Building a Healthy City Model and Promoting Active Design (Lead student researcher)
- Research on Pedestrian Environment Changes due to the Introduction of Smart Mobility (Lead student researcher)
- Evaluation of Child Traffic Safety Design using a Multi-stage VR Simulator
- Architecture & Urban Research Institute (AURI) — Research Assistant (Apr. 2022 – Aug. 2022)
- Analysis of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) using Virtual Reality
- Republic of Korea Air Force — Staff Sergeant (Jan. 2019 – Nov. 2020)
- 15th Special Missions Wing / Seoul Air Base (K-16 AIR BASE)
- Participated in security for state visits by high-ranking officials, including the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and the President of the Republic of Korea.
Publications
Park, W., Son, D., Im, B. et al. (2025). "Fear of crime revisited: analyzing the effects of urban nighttime illuminance on neural and psychological responses using recorded virtual environments and electroencephalogram data." Virtual Reality, 29, 145.
Son, D., Im, B., Her, J., Park, W., Kang, S. J., & Kim, S. N. (2025). "Street lighting environment and fear of crime: a simulated virtual reality experiment." Virtual Reality, 29(1), 1-17.
Park, W., Ko, H., & Kim, S.-N. (2024). "An analysis of threshold access time and distance to age-friendly facilities: A comparison between senior and pre-senior populations." SH Urban Research & Insight, 14(3), 75-96.
Conference Presentations
- Park, W., & Kim, S.-N. (2024). Pedestrian perception on streets with autonomous vehicles. ACSP 2024, Seattle, WA, USA. [Oral]
- Park, W., & Kim, S.-N. (2024). Analysis of electroencephalogram and fear of crime perception in virtual reality. Urban Design Asia 2024, Seoul, ROK. [Oral]
- Park, W., & Kim, S.-N. (2023). Pedestrian’s perception of the street environment with phase in smart mobility. IEEE Smart World Congress (SWC), Portsmouth, UK. [Oral]
- Park, W., & Kim, S.-N. (2023). Analysis of biometric data in virtual reality. KSCE & KST Joint Conference, Busan, South Korea. [Oral]
Honors and Awards
- Young Scholar Award, Master’s Thesis — The 3rd Lim Yong-taek Award for Excellent Paper Competition
- Award for Academic Contribution, Master’s Thesis — Dept. of Urban Engineering, Chung-Ang University
- Excellent Graduate Award, Urban Design — Urban Design Institute of Korea
- Excellence Award, Undergraduate Graduation Exhibition — Chung-Ang University
- Grand Prize, The 4th University Student Idea & Paper Competition — Incheon Metropolitan City
- Completion of Mentoring Program, Mentee — Architecture & Urban Research Institute (AURI)
- First Prize, Dongjak-gu Transportation Service Area Design — Chung-Ang University Campus Town Landscape Design Contest
Scholarships
- Graduate Research Scholarship ($33,000/year), University at Buffalo (Aug. 2026 – Present)
- Young Scholar Award ($1,500), MESH (Mobility Ecology Summit Hour) (Aug. 2025)
- Graduate Research Scholarship ($20,000), Chung-Ang University (Mar. 2023 – Feb. 2025)
- Senior Scholarship ($800), Chung-Ang University (Mar. 2022 – Jul. 2022)
- Academic Improvement Scholarship ($700), Chung-Ang University (Sep. 2021 – Dec. 2021)
Teaching & Other Activities
- Interpreter & Outreach Support for CES 2025, Seoul Business Agency (SBA) (Jan. 2025)
- Youth Advisory Board Member (Telecommunications & Mobility), Personal Information Protection Commission (Oct. 2024)
- Facilitator, Summit for Democracy 2024 (2024)
- Fellow, KFAS Korea-Nordic Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Program (Jan. 2024 – Aug. 2024)
- Teaching Assistant for GIS (7 credits), Chung-Ang University (Spring 2024)
- Mentor for Undergraduate Researchers, Chung-Ang University (Oct. 2023 – Dec. 2023)
- Educational Volunteer (Architecture, Transportation), Korea Student Aid Foundation (KOSAF) Talent Donation Camp (Jul. 2021 – Aug. 2021)
