Bio
Colonel Ted T. Kim is the Assistant Professor and the Deputy Head of the Department of Aeronautics, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado. In this position, he instructs core Aeronautical engineering classes.
Col Kim entered the Air Force in 2003 through the Officer Training School. He has served both the Air Force and Space Force as deputy division chief, branch chief, country director, political-military strategist, executive officer, program/portfolio manager, engineer and foreign threat analyst. Prior to assuming his current position, Col Kim was a Deputy Division Chief at the Space Systems Center of the U.S. Space Force, where he led over 250 Guardian program managers and engineers in developing a next-generation space ground capability that fight a war that extends into space.
Education
Air War College, by correspondence (2019)
Master of Military Operational Art and Science, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. (2015)
Squadron Officer School, by correspondence (2010)
Doctor of Philosophy, Aeronautical Engineering, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio (2009)
Certificate in MASINT IR/SAR, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio (2004)
Air and Space Basic Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala. (2004)
Officer Training School, Maxwell AFB, Calif. (2003)
Master of Science, Materials Science & Engineering, UCLA, Calif. (2002)
Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science & Engineering, UC Berkeley, Calif. (1999)
Professional Experience
August 2003 – October 2003, Foreign Air Threat Analyst, National Air & Space Intelligence Center (NASIC), Wright-Patterson AFB, OH
October 2003 – April 2004, Technical Advisor to Counterintelligence Task Force at AFOSI 1st Field Investigation Region, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH
April 2004 – September 2004, Foreign Air Threat Analyst, National Air & Space Intelligence Center (NASIC), Wright-Patterson AFB, OH
September 2004 – March 2008, PhD student, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH
March 2008 – July 2010, Lead Ceramic Composites Engineer, Materials & Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Wright-Patterson AFB, OH
July 2010 – January 2011, Executive Officer, 332d Expeditionary Security Forces Group, 332d Air Expeditionary Wing, Joint Base Balad, Iraq
January 2011 – April 2011, Lead Ceramic Composites Engineer, Materials & Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Wright-Patterson AFB, OH
April 2011 – August 2013, Chief Engineer, Command and Control Experimentation, Joint Expeditionary Forces Experiments (JEFX), Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hanscom AFB, MA
August 2013 – July 2014, Lead Engineer for Contract 2, Air Force Integrated Personnel and Pay System (AFIPPS) Program Management Office, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hanscom AFB, MA
July 2014 – June 2015, Student, Air Command and Staff College (ACSC), Maxwell AFB, AL
June 2015 – August 2016, Country Director for Japan, Chile & Colombia, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, HI
August 2016 – July 2018, Theater Security Cooperation Portfolio Manager, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, HI
July 2018 – March 2020, Principal Mission Manager, Enterprise Ground Services (EGS) Division, Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC), Los Angeles AFB, CA
March 2020 – February 2021, Branch Chief, Systems Engineering, Enterprise Ground Services (EGS) Division, Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC), Los Angeles AFB, CA
February 2021 – June 2022, Deputy Chief, Enterprise Ground Services (EGS) Division, Space Systems Center (SSC), United States Space Force (USSF), Los Angeles AFB, CA
June 2022 – June 2024, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Dean of Faculty, USAF Academy, CO
June 2024 – Present, Assistant Professor of Aeronautics and Deputy Head, Department of Aeronautics, USAF Academy, CO
Honors & Awards
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leave clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal with one oak leave cluster
Research and Scholarly Interests
Member of the American Ceramics Society
Member of Sigma Gamma Tau, National Honor Society in Aerospace Engineering
Member of Tau Beta Pi, National Engineering Honor Socieity
Publications
T.T. Kim, S. Mall, L.P. Zawada and G.J. Jefferson, “Simultaneous Fatigue and Combustion Exposure of a SiC/SiC Ceramic Matrix Composite,” Journal of Composite Materials, 44(25): 2991-3016.
T.T. Kim, S. Mall and L.P. Zawada, “Fatigue Behavior of Hi-Nic-S/BN/SiC Ceramic Matrix Composites under a Combustion Environment,” International Journal of Applied Ceramic Technology, 8(2): 261-272.
T.T. Kim, S. Mall and L.P. Zawada, “Fatigue Characterization of Melt-Infiltrated (MI) Woven Hi-Nic-S/BN/SiC CMC Using a Unique Combustion Heating Test Facility,” in Mechanical Properties and Performance of Engineering Ceramics and Composites IV, eds D. Singh, W.M. Kriven and J. Salem, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ, USA
T.T. Kim, S. Mall and L.P. Zawada, “Thermomechanical and Fatigue Testing of Woven and Prepreg MI Hi-Nic-S/BN/SiC Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMCs) Using a Unique Combustion Materials Test Facility,” Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Composite Materials (ICCM-17), Edinburgh, UK, July 27-31, 2009.