Junghwan Kim, PhD, MUP
Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, Virginia Tech
Director, Smart Cities for Good
Teaching
The PEEC Model:
Foundation of My Teaching Philosophy

I was invited as a keynote speaker at Virginia Tech’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) Course Design Clinic in 2023, where I presented my PEEC teaching philosophy to fellow teachers.
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Passion is demonstrated by my strong enthusiasm for course material such as AI, geospatial data science, and urban planning, with the goal of igniting students’ own excitement for learning.
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Energy is conveyed by maintaining a high level of positivity in my lectures and activities so that students can feel recharged and motivated by the classroom atmosphere.
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Empathy means recognizing that my course is only one of several courses that students take, and that their level of engagement may naturally differ from mine as a researcher; therefore, I design and deliver content with a keen awareness of students’ circumstances and challenges.
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Can-do Spirit encourages students to overcome self-doubt and imposter syndrome, helping them cultivate confidence and resilience as learners in a supportive environment.
Teaching

Virginia Tech
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Instructor, GEOG 4094/5094 Generative AI Applications in Social Science (Fall-2024, Spring-2025, Spring-2026)
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Instructor, GEOG 4314/5034: Analysis in GIS (Analysis of Spatial Data) (Spring-2023, Spring-2024, Spring-2025, Spring-2026)
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Instructor, GEOG 4304/5304: Geospatial Analysis of Mobility (Spring-2024, Fall-2025)
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Instructor, GEOG 2084/5064: Principles of GIS (Elements of GIS) (Fall-2022, Fall-2023)
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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Teaching Assistant, GEOG/BADM 440: Business Applications of GIS (Spring-2019) - Awarded the Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students with Outstanding Rating (Top 10% in Campus)
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Teaching Assistant, GEOG/ESE 379: Introduction to GIS (Fall-2018) - Awarded the Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students with Outstanding Rating (Top 10% in Campus)
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Teaching Assistant, UP 430/CEE 417: Urban Transportation Planning (Spring-2018) - Awarded the Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students with Outstanding Rating (Top 10% in Campus)
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Teaching Assistant, UP 503: Physical Planning (Fall-2017) - Awarded the Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students with Outstanding Rating (Top 10% in Campus)
Talks, Panels,
and Guest Lectures
2026
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​Invited Lecture. “Generative AI and Urban Planning: Opportunities and Challenges” Residential College at West Ambler Johnston, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, February 2.
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Invited Presentation. “GenAI for Smart Mobility Analysis” the joint CAPSITE and VASITE Simulation and Capacity Analysis User Group (SimCap) Technical Meeting, Washington D.C., January 14.
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2025
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Invited Discussant. Location Privacy in Digital Society Session, Spatial Data Science Symposium, December 5, Online.
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Invited Lecture. “The Uneven Geography of Generative AI Capabilities: Implications for Ethical Urban AI” Urban AI Academy. Online. December 2.
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Invited Presentation. “Mitigating Transportation Barriers to Healthcare for Rural Older Adults” Advancing Whole Health: Research and Innovation Exchange, Blacksburg, VA, December 1
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Invited Lecture, “Generative AI Applications in Engineering Education Research” Lab IREEN, Department of Engineering Education, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, October 30.
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Invited Panelist, From Evidence to Action: A Whole Health Insight Series, Virginia Tech Whole Health Consortium, Online, October 28.
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Invited Lecture, “Generative AI for Smart Infrastructure Management: Opportunities and Challenges” Department of Geography, Environment & Society, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, October 24.
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Guest Lecture, “Generative AI for Smart Infrastructure Management: Opportunities and Challenges” Bill & Eleanor Hazel Seminar, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering Department, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, October 17.
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Guest Lecture, “Generative AI for Smart Infrastructure Management: Opportunities and Challenges” CHCI@VT Weekly Seminar Series, Online, October 10.
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Invited Lecture. “Generative AI and Urban Planning: Opportunities and Challenges”, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (Smart City Infrasphere Seminar), Seoul National University, Online, September 9.
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Guest Lecture. “Generative AI and Urban Planning: Opportunities and Challenges”, Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission (RVARC), Roanoke, VA, August 18.
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Guest Lecture. Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements (KRIHS), South Korea. July 22.
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Guest Lecture. Urban Planning/Landscape Architecture Major, College of Engineering. Gachon University. South Korea. July 21.
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Guest Lecture. School of Digital Humanities and Computational Social Sciences. KAIST. South Korea. July 18.
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Guest Lecture. College of Social Sciences. Kyungpook National University. South Korea. July 17.
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Guest Lecture. Graduate School of Environmental Studies (GSES), Seoul National University. South Korea. July 16.
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Guest Lecture. Department of Urban Planning and Engineering, Hanyang University. South Korea. July 14.
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Guest Lecture. Architecture & Urban Research Institute (AURI), South Korea. July 14.
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Guest Lecture. Department of Urban Planning and Design & Department of Smart Cities, University of Seoul. South Korea. July 11.
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Guest Lecture. Department of Climate-Social Science Convergence, Kyung Hee University. South Korea. July 11.
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Guest Lecture. Department of Urban Planning and Engineering, Yonsei University. South Korea. July 8.
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Invited Speaker. “Smart Management of Urban Infrastructure with Generative AI: Opportunities and Challenges” The 2025 World Congress of Korean Scientists & Engineers. Seoul, South Korea. July 8-11. (Hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT, Government of the Republic of Korea)
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Guest Presentation. “Enhancing Accessibility: Geospatial Analysis of Veterans Affairs Healthcare Services” Salem Research Institute and R&D Service Research Week. Salem, Virginia. May 13. (with Dr. Mengxi Zhang) 2025
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Invited Presentation. “Generative AI: Opportunities and Challenges for GIScience Research and Education” The Virginia Tech Office for GIS and Remote Sensing Research 2025 Symposium. Blacksburg, Virginia. April 11.
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Guest Lecture. “Generative AI and Urban Planning: Opportunities and Challenges” Department Brownbag Talk. Department of Geography and the Environment, University of Texas at Austin. Austin, Texas. April 4.
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Guest Presentation. “Enhancing Access to Pain Management: A Geospatial Approach to AAPM” Presentation to the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM). Austin, Texas. April 3. (with Dr. Mengxi Zhang and Dr. Liz Courtney)
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Invited Lecture. “Generative AI and Urban Planning: Opportunities and Challenges” SPDS Cluster Activity: Guest Talk on Generative AI and Urban Planning. Spatial Sciences Institute, University of Southern California, Online, March 13.
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Invited Panelist. “Geographic limitations of Generative AI tools: Implications for research and education” AI and the Social Sciences: Geography Webinar. Social Science Education Consortium, Online, February 18.
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Invited Lecture. “Generative AI and Geospatial Analysis Methods: Potential Implications for Hospitality & Tourism Management Research” Hospitality & Tourism Management Department Graduate Seminar, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, February 7.
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2024
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Invited Panelist. “The role of privacy concerns, perceived benefits, and trust in citizens’ acceptance of street-view image collection by local planning agencies” Spatial Data Science Symposium, Online, October 23, 2024.
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Invited Talk, 2024 Research Talk hosted by KSEA-EC and KAGES, "Exploring Potential Capabilities and Limitations in Generative AI: Implications for Geographic Research and Education​" June. 25. Online.
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2023
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Invited Keynote Speech, Virginia Tech Course Design Clinic, "Classroom management strategies to promote positive learning environments: PEEC Model" Virginia Tech, Dec. 18.
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Invited Panelist, Digital Twins Webinar Series 6: Ethics, "Digital Twins for Understudied Cities: Small- and Medium-sized Cities in the U.S." Dec. 18. Online.
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Invited Panelist, GISalon International webinar, "Recruiting and Mentoring Grad Students in GIScience and Cartography" Dec. 11. Online.
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Invited Lecture, Data Science for Planners (UP 517), Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Nov. 14. Online.
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Department Colloquium, Department of Geography, Environment, and Sustainability, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Sep. 29.
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Invited Lecture, Universal Design (RED 4664), Department of Apparel, Housing, and Resource Management, Virginia Tech, Apr. 25.
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Invited Lecture, Practicing Sustainability (GEOG 4444), Department of Geography, Virginia Tech, Feb. 20.
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2022​
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Departmental Colloquium, Department of Geography & Sustainability, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Nov. 3.
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Smart City & Data Science International Research Webinar, Department of Urban Planning and Engineering, Yonsei University, South Korea, Oct. 26. Online.
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Research Seminar, The Korean Geographical Society, South Korea, May. 19. Online.
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Research Seminar, Department of Geography, Kyung Hee University, South Korea, Apr. 18. Online.
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2021
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Csillag Seminar, Department of Geography, Geomatics and Environment, University of Toronto at Mississauga, Oct. 27. Online.
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Departmental Colloquium, Department of Geography & GIS, University of Cincinnati, Oct. 1, Online.
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GIScience and Geoprivacy Issues, Center for Geographic Analysis, Harvard University, Jun. 4, Online.
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Introduction to 4-step traffic demand modeling, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Mar. 4. Online.
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Urban Data Analysis Seminar, Department of Geography and Environment, Western University, Canada, Feb. 9. Online.
