Students

Chi Fang is a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science at the University of California, San Diego. His research interests lie at the intersection of foreign policy, weapons acquisitions, defense industries, coercive diplomacy, and social network analysis. His articles have been published in the Washington Quarterly, the Taiwanese Political Science Review, and the Journal of Electoral Studies. He received his M.A. and B.A. from the Department of Diplomacy, National Chengchi University, Taiwan.

Jiwon Jung is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at University of Southern California. Her main research interests are alliance politics, signaling, and bargaining. She received her M.A. in International Studies from Graduate School of International Studies, and B.A. in International Studies from Ewha Womans University.

Kangkyu Lee is a Ph.D. candidate and Presidential Fellow in International Affairs, Science, and Technology at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is primarily interested in how cyber security dynamics affect conventional alliance dynamics. Previously, he was a RAND summer Associate, a Research Fellow with the Humane AI Initiative at the East-West Center, Consultant in Korean and Japanese affairs for Blackpeak, and a Korea Foundation Fellow at Pacific Forum. He was also awarded the Yenching Scholarship and the Bai Xian Foundation Fellowship. He received his M.A. from Yenching Academy of Peking University, M.A. from Georgetown University and B.A. from the University of Georgia.

Siyu Liang is a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science and an MS student in Statistics at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research interests are computational social science and political communication, with a focus on examining media dynamics within both authoritarian and democratic countries. Broadly, she studies Chinese transnational propaganda and the impact of U.S.-China relations on Asian Americans. Methodologically, she conducts text analysis and natural language processing, with a specific focus on stance detection. Her project includes a series of papers that explore media influence on the perception of China, investigating perspectives both within China and the United States. She received her B.A. in Political Science and Statistics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Kayeon Roh is a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science and International Relations at the University of Southern California. Her dissertation research analyzes multi-directional contestations in the context of tributary relations in premodern East Asia. This study sheds light on the evolution and universalization of the concepts of sovereignty and state. She holds an M.A. in International Relations from Seoul National University, and a B.A. in History from the University of Chicago.

Stephen Schick is a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science and International Relations at the University of Southern California. His research spans the fields of comparative and international political economy, investigating how changing economic conditions such as development stages and financial crises shape state-society relations under non-democratic regimes. His dissertation focuses on how access to resources and external influences affects the internal domestic control particularly in China. He holds a B.A. from Reed College.

John Brow is a senior majoring in Psychology and minoring in Legal Studies and Public Health.

John is interested in researching mental health legislation in Korea, comfort women monuments, Koreatown gunmen, elder abuse in Korea, and religious cults.

Seungmin Han is a sophomore majoring in Applied and Computational Mathematics and Business Administration.

Seungmin is interested in researching geopolitics, military strategy, and diplomacy.

Sienna Jackson is a sophomore majoring in Computational Neuroscience and Biotechnology and minoring in East Asian Languages and Cultures.

Sienna is interested in researching Korean adaptations of Chinese systems and Korean identity.

Jiho Kim is a sophomore majoring in Political Science and minoring in Business and Applied Analytics.

Jiho is interested in researching South Korea’s diplomacy, nuclear weaponization, and Seoul Metropolitan Concentration.

This student has declined to have their information shared online.

Victoria Lee is a junior majoring in Philosophy, Politics & Economics and minoring in Management Consulting and Accounting.

Victoria is interested in researching biotechnology, R&D, economic development, long-term investments, ethics, and soft power.

Blake Levins is a junior majoring in International Relations & Global Business and minoring in Korean Studies and Dance.

Blake is interested in researching Dance in South Korea (Hip-Hop + Street dance, traditional dance), the entertainment industry, social movements, and media censorship/impact.

Grant Li is a senior majoring in Economics and Data Science and minoring in Applied Analytics.

Grant is interested in researching art/antique collections formed in South Korea.

Raegan Lusk is a senior majoring in International Relations and minoring in Human Rights. She is also pursuing a progressive degree in Public Diplomacy.

Raegan is interested in researching South Korea’s connection of education, immigration, and soft power policies, and how this effects its foreign policy.

Kylie Meng-Lin is a senior majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in East Asian Languages and Cultures.

Kylie is interested in researching the impact of healthcare disparities and disability inaccessibility on South Korea’s geographic and social landscape as well as academic pressures and mental healthy literacy in South Korean education systems.

Stacey Obodoechine is a junior majoring in Business Administration and minoring in East Asian Languages and Cultures.

Stacey is interested in researching small business development, cross-cultural comparisons, global business strategies, and the relationships between economic and social structures and the development or success of businesses.

Olivia Rajan is a junior majoring in Human Biology and minoring in Korean Studies and Healthcare Studies.

Olivia is interested in researching the differences in healthcare advancements between South and North Korea since the Korean Peninsula split, as well as public health initiatives taken in South Korea to combat air pollution.

Ka Yan (Kai) Tam is a senior majoring in Art and East Asian Languages and Cultures.

Kai is interested in researching KPOP and ‘art’ – brand identity and creating culture (eg Murakami Takashi x NewJeans, VERDY x BLACKPINK, LESSERAFIM x kang.cono).

Son Tran is a junior majoring in Business Administration.

Son is interested in researching K-pop and Korean-American aesthetics.

Andy Zhang is a junior majoring in Linguistics and Computer Science.

Andy is interested in researching the differences in language usage between North Koreans and South Koreans.