SIM LabKONKUK UNIVERSITY, SEOUL, KOREA
Join us @ SIM Lab

Concrete insight.
Resilient futures.

Structural concrete and
Infrastructure Modeling Lab

Connecting material behavior, structural performance, and field evidence to understand the infrastructure we depend on.

Explore our research
FROM MATERIALS TO STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS
Chungwook Sim wearing a hard hat and examining a concrete slab during structural testing in a laboratory.
EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH

Chungwook Sim conducting concrete slab testing.

Featured on the cover of ACI Structural Journal
September 2020 · Vol. 117, No. 5
OUR PERSPECTIVE

Observe in the field.
Understand in the lab.

From earthquake reconnaissance to computational modeling, we connect evidence across scales.

01 / RESEARCH

Questions that
shape our work.

Explore research directions alongside publications, datasets, and funded work from Professor Sim’s research record.

8 research entries

Select a card to explore

Research is a conversation between experiment, computation, and observation.

THE SIM LAB APPROACH
02 / THE LAB

People behind
the questions.

A research home at Konkuk University, bringing structural engineering questions into the laboratory and the field.

Portrait of Chungwook Sim, Director of SIM Lab, wearing glasses and a dark suit.
LAB DIRECTOR
CHUNGWOOK SIM, PH.D.

Connecting field experience
with structural insight.

Associate Professor · Civil & Environmental Engineering

Chungwook Sim is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Konkuk University located in Seoul, Korea. His research combines modeling and testing of structural concrete, extreme-load response, disaster reconnaissance and data management, and infrastructure health monitoring with big data analytics.

Before joining Konkuk, he served on the faculty at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln from 2015 to 2025, earning tenure in 2022. He was a visiting professor at Kyoto University in 2023 and previously worked in structural engineering R&D at Hyundai Engineering and Construction for four and a half years.

EDUCATION

Ph.D., Purdue University · 2014
M.S., The University of Texas at Austin · 2009
M.S., Yonsei University · 2003
B.S., Yonsei University · 2001

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE

Chair, ACI Committee 133
Disaster Reconnaissance
Voting Member, ACI Committee 408

Academic & professional appointments
2025–present
Associate Professor, Konkuk University
2022–2025
Associate Professor with tenure, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Aug–Dec 2023
Visiting Professor, Kyoto University
2015–2022
Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
2014–2015
Postdoctoral Research Assistant, Center for Earthquake Engineering and Disaster Data, Purdue University
2003–2007
Research Structural Engineer, Hyundai Engineering and Construction
Awards & honors 11
FORTHCOMING · OCTOBER 2026

ACI Wason Medal for Most Meritorious Paper

American Concrete Institute. To be awarded in October 2026 for the coauthored paper “The Urgent Need for Increased Robustness of Buildings in Highly Seismic Regions.”

Research awards & honors

2022

ASCE T. Y. Lin Award

American Society of Civil Engineers. Award received for the coauthored paper “Flexural Design of Precast, Prestressed Ultra-High Performance Concrete Members.”

2021

PCI George D. Nasser Award

Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute. Award received for the coauthored paper “Flexural Design of Precast, Prestressed Ultra-High Performance Concrete Members.”

2017 · RESEARCH GROUP RECOGNITION

PCI Daniel P. Jenny Fellowship

Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute. Received by an M.S. student in Professor Sim’s research group.

2015–2016

Research Development Fellows Program

University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

2015

Seed for Success Award – Excellence in Research Awards

Purdue University.

Teaching awards & honors

2021–2023

College of Engineering Teaching Fellows Program

University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

2019

UNO Alumni Outstanding Teaching Award

University of Nebraska at Omaha. Recognition for one faculty member in the College of Engineering.

2018

ASCE ExCEEd Teaching Fellow

American Society of Civil Engineers.

2018

Henry Y. Kleinkauf Family Distinguished New Faculty Teaching Award

University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Recognition for one junior faculty member in the College of Engineering.

2014

Estus H. and Vashti L. Magoon Award for Excellence in Teaching

Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.

OUR TEAM · KONKUK UNIVERSITY

Current students

4 students

Myungji Lee

SIM Lab · Current student

Sungsuk Cha

SIM Lab · Current student

Jihyung Park

SIM Lab · Current student

Yoonah Lee

SIM Lab · Current student

Student photographs and research profiles are forthcoming.

Research advising & mentorship

Research advising and thesis committee service across doctoral, master’s, and undergraduate programs.

Ph.D. students supervised

2 students
Ph.D. · Graduated December 2024

Jiyoung Lee

Deep Learning Vision-Based Bridge Inspection with Resource-constrained Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Co-advised with Dr. Justin Bradley and Dr. Carrick Detweiler.

View dissertation UNL DigitalCommons
Ph.D. · Graduated May 2023

Ramin Ziaei

Soil–Structure Interaction of Curved–Integral–Abutment Bridges

View dissertation record UNL DigitalCommons

Full text: UNL access or interlibrary loan.

Master’s students supervised

9 students
M.S. · Graduated August 2025

John Helzer

A Discrete-time Adaptive Sliding Mode Controller for a Multicopter with a Suspended Payload

Co-supervised with Dr. Justin Bradley.

View thesis UNL DigitalCommons
M.S. · Graduated August 2025

Yejung Cho

Bond Behavior of Stainless-Steel Sprayed Rebars

Non-thesis option.

M.S. · Graduated May 2025

Axel Garcia Gomez

Corrosion Resistance of Stainless-Steel Sprayed Rebars

Non-thesis option.

M.S. · Graduated May 2024

Bennett Jackson

Detection of Deficiencies and Data Analysis of Bridge Members with Deep Convolutional Neural Networks

View thesis UNL DigitalCommons
M.S. · Graduated May 2023

Mohamed Aly

Leveraging Aruco Fiducial Marker System for Bridge Displacement Estimation Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Co-supervised with Dr. Carrick Detweiler.

View thesis UNL DigitalCommons
M.S. · Graduated December 2021

Brendan Barnes

Detecting and Evaluating Cracks on Aging Concrete Members with Deep Convolutional Neural Networks

View thesis UNL DigitalCommons
M.S. · Graduated May 2020

David Gee

Eliminating Rebar Splicing in Transverse Joints of Precast Full Depth Bridge Deck Panels

View thesis UNL DigitalCommons
M.S. · Graduated December 2018

Alex Bleyhl

Experimental Study on a New Type of Transverse Connection for Nebraska County Bridge System

View thesis UNL DigitalCommons
M.S. · Graduated May 2018

Nicholas Williams

Non-thesis option.

Undergraduate research supervision

7 students
Undergraduate research · Summer 2021

Jalen Garza

Image-based Data Pipelines for Aging Infrastructures

Supervised in funded research.

Undergraduate research · Summer 2020

Yajoo Shrestha

Computer Vision Based UAV Inspection

Supervised in funded research.

Undergraduate research · Fall 2018, 2019, Spring 2020

Brendan Barnes

UAV Bridge Inspection

Supervised in funded research.

Undergraduate research · Fall, Summer, and Spring 2017

Callen Koester

County Bridge, and Hail Impact

Supervised in funded research.

Undergraduate research · Summer 2017

Pascual Mauricio

Hail Impact

Supervised in funded research.

Undergraduate research · Summer and Spring 2017

David Gee

Data Platform Development

Supervised in funded research.

Undergraduate research · Summer and Spring 2017, Fall and Summer 2016

Dreizan Moore

Data Curation

Supervised in funded research.

Postdoctoral supervision

1 researcher
Postdoctoral researcher · 2016–2018

Kwawnghee Won

Development of Automated Transverse Crack Mapping System

Supervised by Professor Sim.

Dissertation & thesis committees

11 degree committees
Ph.D. · Graduated August 2020

Chen Fang

Structural Resilience and Hardening of Bridge Piers and Pier Columns Against Vehicle Collision and Blast Loads

Dissertation committee member.

Ph.D. · Graduated May 2020

Ahmed Rageh

Riveted Steel Railway Bridge Health Monitoring and Damage Detection

Dissertation committee member.

Ph.D. · Graduated December 2019

Keyvan Zare-Rami

Multiscale Modeling of Fracture in Quasi-Brittle Materials using Bifurcation Analysis and Element Elimination Method

Dissertation committee member.

Ph.D. · Graduated May 2017

Raed Tawadrous

Design of Shear Pocket Connections in Full-Depth Precast Concrete Bridge Deck Systems

Dissertation committee member.

M.S. · Graduated May 2023

Mohamed Aly

Leveraging Aruco Fiducial Marker System for Bridge Displacement Estimation Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Thesis committee member; co-advisor.

View thesis UNL DigitalCommons
M.S. · Graduated December 2022

Ashley Ramsey

Interactive Visualizations for Explanation in AI

External committee member, University of Nebraska at Omaha.

M.S. · Graduated August 2021

Marie Wagner

Probabilistic Seismic Vulnerability Assessment of Freestanding Historic Monuments

Thesis committee member.

M.S. · Graduated August 2020

Ahmad Shoaib Amiri

A Comparison Between Ultrasonic Guided Wave Leakage and Half-Cell Potential Methods in Detection of Corrosion in Reinforced Concrete Structures

Thesis committee member.

M.S. · Graduated December 2019

Joe Malloy

Development of a Mix Design Adjustment Method for Fiber Reinforced Concrete and Super High Performance Concrete Based on Excess Paste

Thesis committee member.

M.S. · Graduated May 2018

Ahmed Rageh

Optimized Health Monitoring Plans for a Steel, Double-Track Railway Bridge

Thesis committee member.

M.S. · Graduated May 2016

Steven Stauffer

Performance Assessment of Deteriorated and Retrofitted Steel HP Piles

Thesis committee member.

TEACHING

From fundamentals
to design.

Courses taught at Konkuk, Nebraska, and Purdue.

Evaluation scores are reported on the original 5-point scales. Evaluation instruments differ by institution and period; scores should be interpreted within that context. Enrollment counts are class sizes, not survey response counts.

Konkuk University

Mechanics of Materials2026

Stress and strain, material behavior, and the analysis of deformable members.

Mechanics of Materials — Konkuk University: teaching history
SemesterEnrollment
Fall 202656 undergraduates

Additional teaching terms are documented in course materials or teaching notes.

Engineering Physics (Statics)2025–2026 · 2 semesters

Force and position vectors, equilibrium, free-body diagrams, and the foundations of engineering statics.

Engineering Physics (Statics) — Konkuk University: teaching history
SemesterEnrollment
Fall 202648 undergraduates
Fall 202548 undergraduatesTeaching evaluation: 4.97 / 5.0

Additional teaching terms are documented in course materials or teaching notes.

Design of Concrete Structures2025–2026 · 2 semesters

Reinforced concrete design building on RC I, including columns, confinement, interaction diagrams, deflection, bond, and development.

Design of Concrete Structures — Konkuk University: teaching history
SemesterEnrollment
Fall 202622 undergraduates
Fall 202517 undergraduatesTeaching evaluation: 4.83 / 5.0

Additional teaching terms are documented in course materials or teaching notes.

Reinforced Concrete I2026
Reinforced Concrete I — Konkuk University: teaching history
SemesterEnrollment
Spring 202644 undergraduatesTeaching evaluation: 4.81 / 5.0
Engineering Mathematics I2025
Engineering Mathematics I — Konkuk University: teaching history
SemesterEnrollment
Spring 202552 undergraduatesTeaching evaluation: 4.94 / 5.0
Construction Materials2025–2026 · 2 semesters

Concrete constituents and experimental characterization, including sieve analysis, mixing and slump, moisture content, compression, and split tensile testing.

Construction Materials — Konkuk University: teaching history
SemesterEnrollment
Spring 202630 undergraduatesTeaching evaluation: 4.87 / 5.0
Spring 202528 undergraduatesTeaching evaluation: 4.95 / 5.0
Advanced Behavior of Reinforced Concrete Members2026

Slabs, columns, confinement, interaction diagrams, deflection, bond, and development.

Advanced Behavior of Reinforced Concrete Members — Konkuk University: teaching history
SemesterEnrollment
Spring 20267 graduatesTeaching evaluation: 5.0 / 5.0

University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Department reference average: 3.9 / 5.0.

Reinforced Concrete I2016–2024 · 8 semesters
Reinforced Concrete I — University of Nebraska–Lincoln: teaching history
SemesterEnrollment
Fall 202440 undergraduatesTeaching evaluation: 4.5 / 5.0 · SLE survey
Fall 202239 undergraduatesTeaching evaluation: 4.6 / 5.0 · SLE survey
Fall 202146 undergraduatesTeaching evaluation: 4.5 / 5.0 · SLE survey
Fall 202048 undergraduatesTeaching evaluation: 4.3 / 5.0 · SLE survey
Fall 201954 undergraduates
1 graduateTeaching evaluation: 4.2 / 5.0
Fall 201821 undergraduates
1 graduateTeaching evaluation: 4.6 / 5.0
Fall 201763 undergraduates
1 graduateTeaching evaluation: 4.7 / 5.0
Fall 201625 undergraduates
3 graduatesTeaching evaluation: 4.5 / 5.0
Structural Design Fundamentals2024
Structural Design Fundamentals — University of Nebraska–Lincoln: teaching history
SemesterEnrollment
Fall 202476 undergraduatesTeaching evaluation: 4.1 / 5.0 · SLE survey
Reinforced Concrete II2016–2024 · 4 semesters
Reinforced Concrete II — University of Nebraska–Lincoln: teaching history
SemesterEnrollment
Spring 202410 undergraduates
8 graduatesTeaching evaluation: 4.5 / 5.0 · SLE survey
Spring 202241 undergraduates
1 graduateTeaching evaluation: 4.3 / 5.0 · SLE survey
Spring 201715 undergraduates
20 graduatesTeaching evaluation: 4.6 / 5.0
Spring 201613 undergraduates
13 graduatesTeaching evaluation: 4.2 / 5.0
Engineering Statics2023
Engineering Statics — University of Nebraska–Lincoln: teaching history
SemesterEnrollment
Spring 202330 undergraduatesTeaching evaluation: 4.5 / 5.0 · SLE survey
Seismic Design2019–2023 · 3 semesters
Seismic Design — University of Nebraska–Lincoln: teaching history
SemesterEnrollment
Spring 20234 graduatesTeaching evaluation: 4.9 / 5.0 · SLE survey
Spring 20211 undergraduate
9 graduatesTeaching evaluation: 4.1 / 5.0 · SLE survey
Spring 20198 graduatesTeaching evaluation: 4.6 / 5.0
Introduction to Structural Engineering Lab I2022
Introduction to Structural Engineering Lab I — University of Nebraska–Lincoln: teaching history
SemesterEnrollment
Fall 202240 undergraduatesTeaching evaluation: 4.5 / 5.0 · SLE survey
Introduction to Structural Engineering Lab II2022
Introduction to Structural Engineering Lab II — University of Nebraska–Lincoln: teaching history
SemesterEnrollment
Fall 202212 undergraduatesTeaching evaluation: 4.5 / 5.0 · SLE survey
Foundation Engineering2015
Foundation Engineering — University of Nebraska–Lincoln: teaching history
SemesterEnrollment
Fall 201530 undergraduates
8 graduatesTeaching evaluation: 4.3 / 5.0

Purdue University

Reinforced ConcreteTeaching assistant · 2013
Reinforced Concrete — Purdue University: teaching history
SemesterEnrollment
Fall 201378 undergraduatesTA evaluation: 4.7 / 5.0
SERVICE

Learning beyond
the laboratory.

Translating earthquake observations into shared knowledge for the structural engineering community.

01

ACI Committee 133

Disaster Reconnaissance

Chungwook Sim · Chair, April 2026–present
02

ACI Committee 408

Bond and development of steel reinforcement

Chungwook Sim · Voting member
03

International reconnaissance

Field observations, damage documentation, and exchange with earthquake engineering colleagues.

Ecuador · Albania · Korea · Türkiye · Thailand
Professional society memberships
  • American Concrete Institute — Member, 2010–present
  • Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute — Member, 2015–present
  • American Society of Civil Engineers — Member, 2012–present
  • Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea — 2026–present
  • Korean-American Scientists and Engineers Association — Member, 2010–2025
  • Korean Society of Civil Engineers — Member, 2011–present
  • Korean Concrete Institute — Member, 2011–present
Peer review
  • Engineering Structures
  • Journal of Nondestructive Evaluation
  • EERI Earthquake Spectra
  • ACI Special Publication
  • ASCE Journal of Structural Engineering
  • Construction and Building Materials
  • NIST Technical Note: Database-Assisted Design for Wind of Steel and Reinforced Concrete Structures
University service
  • Comprehensive Research Data Strategy Task Force Team — 2022–2023. Invited by the Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development and the Dean of Libraries.
  • Faculty Senate, Faculty Personnel and Welfare subcommittee — External member representing the UNL College of Engineering at the University of Nebraska Omaha campus, 2019–2022.
College service
  • Faculty Development and Mentoring Task Force Team, College of Engineering — Fall 2017.
Unit service
  • Lab Director, PKI Large-Scale Structures Laboratory — Fall 2016–Spring 2025.
  • Honors and Awards Committee — Fall 2022–Spring 2025.
  • Communications and Outreach Committee — Fall 2015–Fall 2019.
  • Ad-hoc Geotechnical Faculty Search Committee — Spring 2016.
  • Faculty Advisor, ASCE Student Chapter in Omaha — Fall 2015–Spring 2025.
Conference activities
  • Future of Building Industry Workshop 2023 – Smart Resilient Communities — Planning Committee, June 2023.
  • Bridging Big Data Workshop 2023 — Planning, May 2023.
  • Bridging Big Data Workshop 2020 (Virtual) — Planning and Moderator, November 2020.
  • Bridging Big Data Workshop 2019 — Planning and Moderator, October 2019.
  • Midwest Big Data Hub Transportation Symposium 2017 — Presenter and Moderator of Breakout Session, June 2017.
  • UKC 2017, CEA Infrastructure Resilience — Session Chair, August 2017.
  • Bridging Big Data Workshop 2016 — Planning and Moderator, November 2016.
  • UKC 2016, CEA-B Infrastructure Materials — Session Co-Chair, August 2016.
NEWS / EVENTS

Notes from the lab.

Selected updates · 2025–2026
INVITED TALK

The Urgent Need for Increased Robustness of Structures in Highly Seismic Regions

Sim, C., Pujol, S., and Lequesne, R. — Invited seminar at the 30th Anniversary of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea, September 11, 2026.

PEOPLE

Sungsuk Cha and Jihyung Park join SIM Lab

Sungsuk Cha and Jihyung Park joined SIM Lab in August 2026, ahead of their formal enrollment in Konkuk University’s Graduate School.

AWARD

Konkuk University highlights Chungwook Sim’s ACI Wason Medal selection

Konkuk University featured Chungwook Sim’s selection for the American Concrete Institute’s Wason Medal for Most Meritorious Paper.

Read the university announcement (Korean)
LAB LIFE

YoonAh Lee introduces digital lab notebooks with Notion

Undergraduate research assistant YoonAh Lee began keeping a digital lab notebook (연구노트) in Notion on May 29, 2026. She also gave lab members a tutorial on how to create their own digital lab notebooks.

FIELDWORK

LiDAR pile-monitoring fieldwork in Icheon

Fieldwork in Icheon supported the lab’s LiDAR pile-monitoring project. The research connects point-cloud alignment and displacement estimation with LVDT measurements for comparison.

RESEARCH FUNDING

KASA-supported space concrete project begins

SIM Lab began “Research on the Practical Application of Sulfur-Regolith Concrete Pads for ISRU Equipment Installation and Operations,” supported by the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA). The project runs from April through December 2026, with Chungwook Sim as principal investigator and Taesu Ku as co-principal investigator.

RESEARCH FUNDING

Industry-funded research on concrete delamination and spalling

SIM Lab launched “Platform for Detecting Delamination and Spalling Stages, Assessing Risk, and Issuing Alerts for Concrete Structures,” supported by Korea Construction Disaster-Prevention Research Co., Ltd. Led by principal investigator Chungwook Sim, the project runs from March 2026 through February 2028 and focuses on detecting damage stages, assessing risk, and issuing alerts for concrete structures.

PEOPLE

Myungji Lee joins as the first graduate student at Konkuk

Myungji Lee joined SIM Lab in March 2026 as its first graduate student at Konkuk University.

INVITED TALK

Ktr: Transverse Reinforcement Index

Chungwook Sim presented “Ktr: Transverse Reinforcement Index – How much does transverse confining reinforcement contribute to the bond performance of straight reinforcing bars?” at the Korea Concrete Institute Spring Conference, February 26, 2026.

RESEARCH FUNDING

LH-supported BIM reinforcement project begins

SIM Lab began work on “Development of Standards for BIM Reinforcement Models for Civil Infrastructures within Building Complexes,” supported by Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH). The project runs from January through December 2026. Chungwook Sim leads the Konkuk University subcontract; Bong-Keun Kim (Taesung SNI) is the project’s principal investigator, with Chungwook Sim, Jinhee Ahn, and Youngchul Yoon as co-principal investigators.

INVITED TALK

Bridge-deck crack analysis at ACI’s 24 Hours of Concrete Knowledge

Chungwook Sim presented “Surface Strain Analysis of Transverse Cracks on Bridge Decks Detected by Deep CNN” at ACI’s 24 Hours of Concrete Knowledge, held virtually on July 9, 2025.

LAB MILESTONE

SIM Lab moves from UNL to Konkuk University

SIM Lab moved from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln to Konkuk University in Seoul in March 2025, as Chungwook Sim began his work in Korea.

CONTACT / KONKUK UNIVERSITY

Better questions.
Shared possibilities.

For conversations about structural concrete, infrastructure monitoring, or research collaboration.

Structural concrete and
Infrastructure Modeling Lab

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Konkuk University

LAB DIRECTOR

Chungwook Sim, Ph.D.

csim@konkuk.ac.kr

Engineering Building A1217
120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu
Seoul 05029, South Korea

RESEARCH FOCUS