Dr. Um is currently a Principal Researcher at the Clean Energy Research Center of Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) since 2012. Before joining the KIST, Dr. Um was a postdoctoral research associate in the Dr. Wood lab at the Department of Chemical Engineering of University of Connecticut. She received her Ph.D. in the Department of chemical engineering, University of Maryland at college park in 2004. Since June 2006, she has worked in Clean Energy Research Center at Korea Institute of Science and Technology as a Principal researcher and Adjunct Professor of University of Science and Technology in Korea. She has focused on biological production of butyric acid, hexanoic acid, butanol, and hexanol from sugars, glycerol, and syngas using Clostridium strains. She received ‘Young Research Award’ from Korea Society of Biotechnology and Bioengineering in 2011. She is the author or co-author of over 80 international journal papers and over 50 domestic and international patents