Dr. Daniel Choi received his BSc in Metallurgical Engineering from the Seoul National University (South Korea) and his PhD in Electrical Engineering from UCLA. Dr. Choi worked as a staff member for three years at the Aerospace Corporation in California, which supports the US Air Force, where developed high-resolution Focused Ion Beam (FIB) Lithography techniques, high-transconductance/low-noise nanometer-scale MOSFET and GaN high-speed electronic devices. He later joined the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)/NASA in 1999 as a task manager, leading a number of space-related projects for nine years. He also has worked on the development of high sensitivity gas sensors, MEMS-gyroscopes, and novel microfluidic ion mobility chromatograph for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) project. He served as the committee for NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.

Prior to joining the Masdar Institute, Dr. Choi was an associate professor of the Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) program for 2007-2013 at University of Idaho (USA), where he developed technologies in the area of energy storage, 3D-nanoelectronics and bio-applications (cancer treatments and smart drug delivery). His leadership at the University of Idaho included serving as the MSE program coordinator to design/improve the programs to meet the requirements of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) criteria, an academic advisor of the Tau Beta Pi University of Idaho chapter, and being the director of the University Nanofabrication Cleanroom Facility.

Currently, Dr. Choi is an associate professor of the Materials Science and Engineering program in the Masdar Institute.