SeokHyeon (Lucas) Kong

Philadelphia, PA, USA · shkong{at}seas.upenn.edu
[Curriculum Vitae]

I am a CIS Ph.D. student at the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining Penn, I worked as a software engineer at Hanwha Systems in Korea. I did my B.S. at Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) and was an exchange student at The Pennsylvania State University.

My research interest broadly lies in quantum computer architecture and systems. I aspire to become an independent researcher who designs fault-tolerant quantum computer systems that bridge the gap between hardware capabilities and real-world applications. Recently, I have been exploring quantum error correction.

Education

University of Pennsylvania

Doctor of Philosophy
Computer and Information Science

Advisor: Prof. Gushu Li

Starting August 2026

Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU)

Bachelor of Science
Electronics and Electrical Engineering

Summa Cum Laude

February 2026

Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU)

Bachelor of Science
Advanced Semiconductor Engineering

System Architecture Track

February 2026

The Pennsylvania State University

Exchange Student
EECS (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science)

Grade: 4.0 / 4.0

Fall 2024

Experience

Hanwha Systems

Software Engineer

Avionics System R&D

Collaboration with The Boeing Company on ELAD (Eagle Large Area Display) for F-15 aircraft

January 2026 - July 2026

IonQ

Research Mentee

Advised by Dr. Denny Dahl

Final Posters

Poster Presentation: Solving Constraint Satisfaction Problems with Variational Quantum Algorithm on NISQ Devices
SeokHyeon Kong, Chanhee Park, Jang-il Moon, and Denny Dahl
Presented at Qcenter - Quantum Information Research Support Center, Korea, Sep 2025 [Presentation]

August 2025 - September 2025

The Pennsylvania State University

Undergraduate Researcher

Advised by Prof. Kiwan Maeng

Publication: Characterizing the System Overhead of Discrete Gaussian Noise Generation for Differential Privacy
SeokHyeon Kong, Donghwan Kim, Euiseong Seo, and Kiwan Maeng
CAL2025 - IEEE Computer Architecture Letters [PDF]

August 2024 - September 2025

Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH)

Undergraduate Research Intern

POSTECH QCQN (Quantum Computing and Quantum Networks)

Final Poster: An Experimental Overview of Trapped-Ion Quantum Computing with Ca+ Ions

January 2025

Awards & Honors

  • Penn Engineering Graduate Fellowship and Research Stipend Award ($49,000 per year)
  • Summa Cum Laude (B.S., Sungkyunkwan University)
  • 5x Dean's List - SP23 (4.5 / 4.5), FA23 (4.5 / 4.5), SP24 (4.43 / 4.5), FA24 (4.5 / 4.5), SP25 (4.5 / 4.5)
  • 2x President's List - 2024 (6th), 2025 (7th)
  • Quantum Hackathon 2025 - Director's Award
  • Penn State College of Engineering Dean's List Honors - FA24 (4.0 / 4.0)
  • Korea-U.S. Student Exchange Program in the field of high-tech industry ($9,000) - Representative Student
  • SKKU Student Success Story Contest Winner
  • SKKU Student Success Scholarship

Leadership & Service

  • Executive Board, President's List (PL) (Honor Society at SKKU)
  • Qiskit Advocate, IBM Quantum
  • Academic Tutor, Intro to Electromagnetism, SKKU
  • International Summer School Teaching Assistant, Engineering Mathematics 2, SKKU
  • SG Maple (Global Mentoring & Assisting International Students), SKKU
  • Squad Leader, 6th Infantry Division (Republic of Korea Army, Military Service)