Heejoon Park

Assistant Professor

Bio-Engineering Lab Coordinator

Heejoon Park

Bio

Dr. Heejoon Park joined the Department of Engineering and Technology at the University of North Alabama in Fall 2020. Dr. Park received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at the University of Wyoming in 2011, his M.S. in Ag & Biosystems Engineering at South Dakota State University in 2006, and his B.S. in Chemical Engineering at Chung Nam National University in 2003.

Prior to joining UNA, he was a post-doctoral researcher at Montana State University where he worked on the development of robust microbial communities through engineered biofilms which was supported by the U.S. Department of Defense. During this tenure, Dr. Park published several research articles in renowned journals, as well as taught junior- and senior-level courses in bioprocess engineering and thermodynamics.

After his Ph.D., he worked as a senior research engineer in the Biochemical Division at Lotte Chemical Corporation, one of the leading chemical companies in South Korea, for seven years. He took a leading role on several biochemical production projects such as D-lactic acid (C3) bio-succinic acid (C4), and dodecanedioic acid (C12) production via biological routes utilizing renewable resources. Dr. Park was also involved in several business assessment projects in the nutraceutical business area. While at Lotte Chemical, he filed eight patents in the United States and South Korea.

His current research interests are understanding the fundamental aspects of microbial biofilms in industrial, environmental, medical, and engineered systems including spacecraft.

Research Interests

  • Bioprocess Engineering, Biofilm Engineering, Value added bio based product

Courses Taught

Education

  •   Chemical Engineering (PhD)
    University of Wyoming
  •   Engineering (MS)
    South Dakota State University
  •   Engineering (B.Eng.)
    Chungnam National University

Selected Intellectual Contributions

  • Heejoon Park and Ross P. Carlson. 2020. Artificial consortium demonstrates emergent properties of enhanced cellulosic-sugar degradation and biofuel synthesis” npj Biofilm and Microbiomes.
  • Heejoon Park. 2020. Pseudomonad reverse carbon catabolite repression, interspecies metabolite exchange, and consortial division of labor.
  • Heejoon Park. 2019. Reverse Diauxie Phenotype in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilm Revealed by Exometabolomics and Label-Free Proteomics.
  • Heejoon Park. 2018. The development and evaluation of β-glucosidase immobilized magnetic nanoparticles as recoverable biocatalysts.
  • Heejoon Park. 2017. Characterization of the newly isolated ω-oxidizing yeast Candida sorbophila DS02 and its potential applications in long-chain dicarboxylic acid production.
  • Heejoon Park. 2011. Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Detection of Viral DNA using Magnetic Capture of Raman Active Gold Nanoparticles.
  • Heejoon Park. 2011. Synthesis and characterization of enzyme - magnetic nanoparticle complexes: effect of size on activity and recovery.
  • Heejoon Park. 2010. A novel laccase-catalyzed cathode for microbial fuel cells.
  • Heejoon Park. 2005. Characterization of Rheological Properties of poly (3-hydroxybutyric acid).
  • Heejoon Park. 2003. Designing SMB (Simulated Moving Bed) chromatography to separate S-ketoprofen enantiomer.