I’ve always been fascinated by social structural constraints imposed on individuals and how they deepen existing inequality. My research examines these multilevel effects and how they shape individual decisions. Specifically, during my PhD programs, my research focuses on how gender — both as an individual attribute and as an institutional force — shapes decision-making processes, such as migration, career development, and identity formation, and in turn, perpetuate social inequality.

How does gender shape migration decisions?

  • Exodus From Gender Inequality? Gender Differences in Educational Selectivity among Korean Immigrants in the US. Manuscript available
    • Raymond V. Bowers Award for Outstanding Graduate Student Paper
  • Gender Gap in Foreign US Ph.D. Holders: Does Gender Inequality Affect Return Decisions? Article manuscript in progress.

How does gender shape career trajectories?

  • (with Erin Leahey) Pervasive Gender Divides in the Medical Profession: Professional Purity and Research Career. Article manuscript in progress.

  • The Impact of Home Country Gender on Women Pursuing Ph.D. in the US. Article manuscript in progress.

How does gender shape identity formation?

  • (with Jennifer Carlson) Politics at the Gun Counter: Examining Partisanship and Masculinity among Conservative Gun Sellers During the 2020 Gun Purchasing Surge. Social Problems.https://doi.org/10.1093/socpro/spac046

  • (with Dylan Simburger & Daniel Martínez) The Influence of Medical Inequality Perceptions on the Political Identity of U.S. Hispanic-Latinos. Article manuscript in progress.

Future Research

  • How do expressions of gender inequality in social media and online forums correlate with migration intentions, and what can this reveal about the gendered nature of migration decision-making processes?

    • This project will employ Natural Language Processing techniques, including word embedding models, to analyze large-scale textual data from social media and online forums. The aim is to quantify the semantic distance between expressions of gender inequality and migration intentions, providing new insights into how gendered social contexts shape migration decisions.

  • In what ways do gender dynamics influence the academic trajectories, assimilation processes, and contributions of international scholars within local and global academic communities?

    • This comprehensive, long-term project will examine international scholars’ academic trajectories and assimilation processes, with a particular focus on gendered dynamics. The research will investigate scholars’ reception in local and international academia, their contributions to productivity and innovation, and patterns of assimilation or marginalization within academic communities.