Dr. Hyung-Goo Kim studied chemistry (BS) and biochemistry (MS) at the University of Goettingen in Germany.  He received his PhD at the Free University of Berlin in conjunction with Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Genetics. In the past, Dr. Kim successfully employed positional cloning and candidate gene approach to identify disease genes. This resulted in the identification of 4 novel disease genes. NRXN1 for autism, and PHF21A for intellectual disability combined with craniofacial anomalies. He also identified the two novel disease genes, WDR11 and CHD7, in Kallmann syndrome characterized by anosmia and delayed puberty. Each of these was a major contribution to its respective area of human molecular genetics.

After working on Developmental Genome Anatomy Project (DGAP) under Dr. James Gusella at Harvard Medical School for 5 years, he was an Associate Professor at the Medical College of Georgia at the Augusta University in the US from 2013 to 2018. To identify disease genes in neurodevelopmental disorders including autism and intellectual disability, he has moved to Middle East. His current focus is identifying new disease genes in the consanguineous countries including Qatar and Oman to elucidate their underlying mechanism for accurate molecular diagnosis, a better prognosis, and eventual development of medical and therapeutic interventions. 

Dr. Kim has been working on positional cloning and next generation sequencing to identify disease genes involved in human developmental disorders for the last 25 years. As a gene hunter, he takes advantage of naturally occurring chromosomal rearrangements such as balanced translocations and balanced inversions as well as submicroscopic small genomic deletions and duplications to map the autosomal dominant or X-linked recessive disease genes including autism, intellectual disability, Tourette syndrome, dyslexia, language/speech delay, epilepsy, craniofacial anomalies, and body integrity identity disorder (BIID).