PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Kyoungho Ha

Also known as Kyoung-Ho Ha

Kyoungho Ha is an engineer who builds wearable sensors and skin-worn haptic interfaces and connects them with AI for people and robots. After degrees in mechanical and aerospace engineering at Seoul National University in 2013 and 2015, Ha completed a mechanical engineering Ph.D. at the University of Texas at Austin in 2022 as a member of Nanshu Lu's research group. Northwestern University's Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics hosted Ha as a postdoctoral researcher with John A. Rogers from 2022 to 2026, and co-first-author papers appeared in Nature in 2024 and Science in 2025 on haptic interfaces. As an assistant professor in the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering at KAIST since February 2026, Ha leads the Interactive Bio-Interface Lab, whose projects include AI-guided hand navigation for people with visual impairments.

Now at
KAIST

Timeline

  1. 2013–2015

    Degrees at Seoul National University

    Seoul National University grants a B.S. in mechanical and aerospace engineering in 2013 and an M.S. in the same field in 2015.

  2. 2021

    A hybrid-response pressure sensor

    In September 2021, a University of Texas at Austin team that includes Ha, from the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering, reports a soft pressure sensor in Advanced Materials. The sensor combines piezo-capacitive and piezo-resistive sensing, and Ha is the first author of the paper.

  3. 2022

    A Ph.D. at UT Austin

    A Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin follows in 2022, earned as a member of Nanshu Lu's research group. The Daily Texan quotes Ha in February 2022 on a foam sensor whose hybrid response keeps high sensitivity across a large pressure range.

  4. June 2022–February 2026

    Postdoctoral work with John Rogers

    A postdoctoral position at the Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics at Northwestern University runs from June 2022 to February 2026, with John A. Rogers as principal investigator.

  5. 2024

    A Nature paper on haptics

    In 2024, Nature publishes "Bioelastic state recovery for haptic sensory substitution," with Ha among the equally contributing first authors and John A. Rogers among the corresponding authors.

  6. 2025

    A Science paper on haptic actuators

    Northwestern announces the Science paper "Full freedom-of-motion actuators as advanced haptic interfaces" in March 2025, with Ha, Jaeyoung Yoo and Shupeng Li as co-first authors. The wireless device sits on the skin and applies force in any direction to produce vibrations, stretching, pressure, sliding and twisting.

  7. Since February 2026

    Assistant professor at KAIST

    A post as assistant professor in the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering at KAIST begins in February 2026, and an adjunct professor post in the Department of AX begins in April 2026. Research areas include bioelectronics, haptic interfaces and physical AI for humans and robots. The Interactive Bio-Interface Lab, led by Ha, combines wearable haptic interfaces with AI, for example a smartphone and smart-glasses system that guides the hands of people with visual impairments toward target objects.

Career

  1. Since 2026KAISTAssistant Professor
  2. 2022–2026Northwestern UniversityPostdoctoral Researcher

Education

  1. 2022University of Texas at AustinPh.D.
  2. 2015Seoul National UniversityB.S., M.S.

From the biography.

  1. The United States employs an estimated 48% of people shaping AIIncludes KAIST. We estimate where the people shaping AI work today, how universities, companies and research institutes split across countries, and how country shares have changed since the 1960s.
  2. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes KAIST. We estimate where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led. Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads with 467 former students, including 291 recorded doctorates.
  3. The company share of AI researchers’ top papers was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974Includes KAIST. We estimate where the people shaping AI worked when their most-cited papers appeared: the company share was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974, and Google led all organizations in 2020–2024.
  4. 44% of AI career moves go from one university to anotherIncludes KAIST. We estimate how 26,439 AI career moves link universities, companies, labs, nonprofits and government research centers, with decade counts, net flows and the top paths.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Kyoungho Ha yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. IBI Lab - PI: Kyoung-Ho Ha sites.google.com. Checked 21 October 2026.
  2. Soft Pressure Sensor Breakthrough Solves Field's Most Challenging Bottleneck - Cockrell School of Engineering - University of Texas at Austin cockrell.utexas.edu. Checked 21 October 2026.
  3. IBI Lab - Publications sites.google.com. Checked 21 October 2026.
  4. UT researchers develop soft sensor to maintain sensitivity under pressure – The Daily Texan thedailytexan.com. Checked 21 October 2026.
  5. Feeling the future: New wearable tech simulates realistic touch - Northwestern Now news.northwestern.edu. Checked 21 October 2026.
  6. Feeling the future: New wearable tech simulates realistic touch | ScienceDaily sciencedaily.com. Checked 21 October 2026.
  7. IBI Lab sites.google.com. Checked 21 October 2026.
  8. IBI Lab - Smart Interfaces with AI sites.google.com. Checked 21 October 2026.
  9. Faculty | AX aicollege.kaist.ac.kr. Checked 21 October 2026.