Kim's research has demonstrated that the acquisition and retrieval of fear memories is different across childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, and that fear memories are able to be erased early in life. Kim's research uses rodent models that closely resemble human behaviors to understand the neurobiological basis of those behaviors. Specifically, her work investigates the role of memory and forgetting in the development and treatment of two major mental disorders across childhood and adolescence: anxiety disorder and substance use disorder.[citation needed]
To study anxiety, the Kim laboratory employs a classical conditioning paradigm based on the work of Ivan Pavlov known as fear conditioning. Despite originating 100 years ago, this model is widely used by modern scientists to uncover the neural mechanisms of fear and anxiety. To investigate substance abuse the Kim laboratory uses an operant conditioning paradigm based on the work of B. F. Skinner known as intravenous self-administration. Kim's research especially focuses on extinction, a form of inhibitory learning that forms the basis of exposure-based therapies for both anxiety and addiction disorders.[citation needed]
Kim has over 70 original publications to date, and her work has been cited in other publications over 2700 times.[9]
Careeredit
Kim completed her undergraduate degree at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in 2004, graduating with the University Medal in Psychology. She completed her PhD in psychology in 2008 at UNSW, during which time she published six original scientific articles.[10][11][12][13][14][15] After graduating, Kim worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at UNSW, and then the University of Michigan. Kim then gained a position as a Senior Research Officer at the Florey Institute, before becoming head of the Developmental Psychobiology Laboratory at the institute.
Editorial activityedit
Behavioural Brain Research, Invited Guest Editor for 2016 special issue Developmental Regulation of Memory in Anxiety and Addiction
Pharmacology Research & Perspectives, member of the editorial board
Community serviceedit
Kim is a vocal advocate for Women in Science, and has served on the committee for the Florey Committee for Equality is Science (EqIS).[16] Kim was acknowledged for her role as a proponent for women in science in Kate White's book, Building effective career paths for women in science research: a case study of an Australian science research institute.[17]
Kim is also a board member for the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology and has been a symposium organiser and chair at several international scientific conferences.[citation needed] Kim is the treasurer of Biological Psychiatry Australia.[18]
^Kim, Jee Hyun; McNally, Gavan P.; Richardson, Rick (1 February 2006). "Recovery of fear memories in rats: role of gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) in infantile amnesia". Behavioral Neuroscience. 120 (1): 40–48. doi:10.1037/0735-7044.120.1.40. PMID 16492115.
^Kim, Jee Hyun; Richardson, Rick (1 February 2007). "A developmental dissociation of context and GABA effects on extinguished fear in rats". Behavioral Neuroscience. 121 (1): 131–139. CiteSeerX10.1.1.500.9810. doi:10.1037/0735-7044.121.1.131. PMID 17324057.
^Kim, Jee Hyun; Richardson, Rick (1 July 2007). "A developmental dissociation in reinstatement of an extinguished fear response in rats". Neurobiology of Learning and Memory. 88 (1): 48–57. doi:10.1016/j.nlm.2007.03.004. PMID 17459734. S2CID 19611691.
^Kim, Jee Hyun; Richardson, Rick (1 December 2007). "Immediate post-reminder injection of gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) agonist midazolam attenuates reactivation of forgotten fear in the infant rat". Behavioral Neuroscience. 121 (6): 1328–1332. CiteSeerX10.1.1.560.7099. doi:10.1037/0735-7044.121.6.1328. ISSN 0735-7044. PMID 18085885.
^Langton, Julia M.; Kim, Jee Hyun; Nicholas, Jennifer; Richardson, Rick (1 October 2007). "The effect of the NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 on the acquisition and extinction of learned fear in the developing rat". Learning & Memory. 14 (10): 665–668. doi:10.1101/lm.692407. hdl:10536/DRO/DU:30144607. PMID 17909101.
^Kim, Jee Hyun; Richardson, Rick (6 February 2008). "The effect of temporary amygdala inactivation on extinction and reextinction of fear in the developing rat: unlearning as a potential mechanism for extinction early in development". The Journal of Neuroscience. 28 (6): 1282–1290. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4736-07.2008. PMC6671587. PMID 18256248.
^"Equality in Science". The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
^White, Kate. "Federation University Australia". federation.edu.au. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
^"About Us". Homepage. Biological Psychiatry Australia. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
^"YSLA01 ISN Young Scientist Lectureship Award: Jee Hyun Kim". ISN. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
^"Aubrey Lewis Award – Biological Psychiatry Australia". Biological Psychiatry Australia. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
^"2016 Award Winners | CINP". cinp.org. Archived from the original on 29 September 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
^"Dr Jee Hyun Kim | AIPS". www.aips.net.au. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
^"International Society for Developmental Psychobiology". 46th Annual Meeting Conference Program. ISDP.
^"Australian Psychological Society : Early Career Research Awards". www.psychology.org.au. Archived from the original on 11 July 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
^"D.G. Marquis Behavioral Neuroscience Award". www.apadivisions.org. American Psychological Association. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
^"Richardson Lab - Home". www2.psy.unsw.edu.au. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
^"International Society for Developmental Psychobiology" (PDF). 42nd Annual Meeting Conference Program. ISDP.
^"Australian Psychological Society : Award for Excellent PhD Thesis in Psychology". www.psychology.org.au. Archived from the original on 11 July 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
^"International Society for Developmental Psychobiology". 40th Annual Meeting Conference Programme. ISDP.
^"Australian Psychological Society : APS Prize". www.psychology.org.au. Archived from the original on 13 June 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2015.