About Me

  • Clarifying causal factors of individual differences via computational modeling of brain-behavior dynamics
  • Translational neuromodeling for diagnosis, intervention, and brain-inspired computing

Education

Seoul National University · Seoul, South Korea
Mar 2021 – Exp. Feb 2027
Degrees:B.A. Linguistics · B.A. Psychology · B.S. Computer Science
GPA:4.18 / 4.3 (3.96 / 4.0)
Major GPA (4.0):Ling./Psych.: 4.00, CS: 3.82
* Mandatory military service, Jul 2023 – Jan 2025
The University of Hong Kong · Hong Kong SAR
Jun 2025 – Aug 2025
Summer Research Program, Faculty of Psychology

Research

Color Vision fMRI Study
Development of a Personalized Color Vision Correction Display Filter Using fMRI-Based Neural Responses and Deep Learning
Apr 2025 – Present
Project Lead (Advisor: Prof. Jiook Cha)
  • Designed the full research pipeline: experiment design, data preprocessing, neural modeling, and optimization-based filter generation.
  • Analyzed inter-individual coherence and disparity of individuals with color vision deficiencies in neural color geometry using Procrustes alignment.
  • Funded by SNU Undergraduate Research Grant ($3,500).
Presentations
  • Kim, Jinil, Cho, M., Seo, J., Cha, J. (Jun 2026). fMRI Decoding Reveals Intact Neural Color Representations in Color Vision Deficiency. Poster accepted for presentation at the 2026 Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM) Annual Meeting, Bordeaux, France.
Planning IRL Navigation
Inference of Latent Planning Depth in Human Pedestrian Navigation Using Planning-Aware Inverse Reinforcement Learning
Sep 2025 – Present
Research Analyst (Advisor: Prof. Woo-Young Ahn)
  • Developing a planning-aware inverse reinforcement learning framework to infer latent planning depth from human sequential decision-making.
tDDM Emotion and Reward
A Time-Varying Drift Diffusion Model of Emotion and Reward Prediction Errors in Depression
Jun 2025 – Present
Project Lead (Advisor: Prof. Yuan-Wei Yao)
  • Developing a time-varying Drift Diffusion Model (tDDM) to investigate the hierarchical influence of emotion and reward prediction errors in social decision-making
Presentations
  • Kim, Jinil, Yao, Y. W. (Aug 2025). Why Do Depressed Individuals Punish?: A Computational Investigation of Emotion Learning and Bias in Maladaptive Social Behavior. Poster presented at the Summer Research Program Poster Session, University of Hong Kong.

Scholarships

KOSAF Humanity 100 Years Undergraduate Scholarship
Mar 2025 – Jul 2026
Amount: $12,500 (KRW 17,000,000)
The University of Hong Kong Foundation for Educational Development and Research Scholarship
Jun 2025 – Aug 2025
Amount: $1,300 (HKD 10,000)
Superior Academic Performance scholarship
Mar 2022, 2023; Sep 2022

Honors and Awards

Best Poster Award in SNU Undergrad Research Program (4th Place)
Jan 2026
SNU Liberal Arts Competition (1st Place)
Jul 2023

Teaching

Teaching Assistant, Basic Computing (English) · Seoul National University
Mar 2026
Teaching Assistant, Basic Computing (Korean) · Seoul National University
Sep 2025

Research Experiences

Computational Clinical Science Laboratory · Seoul National University
Apr – Jun 2025; Sep 2025 –
Undergraduate RA (Advisor: Prof. Woo-Young Ahn)
  • Developed an Adversarial Inverse Reinforcement Learning (AIRL) model with interpretable parameters to capture individual differences in decision policies.
  • Designed a hierarchical multimodal model integrating EEG, behavioral, and app-based digital phenotype data to predict alcohol craving.
Jun 2025 – Aug 2025
Visiting Researcher (Advisor: Prof. Yuan-Wei Yao)
  • Developed a time-varying Drift Diffusion Model (tDDM) to investigate the hierarchical influence of emotion and reward prediction errors in social decision-making