I am an Associate Professor in the College of Medicine at Yonsei University as well as in the Economics Department and Division of Public Policy at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. I am also the Founding Director of the Institute of Population and Human Capital at Yonsei University and serve as an Associate Editor of Economic Development and Cultural Change. I am the author of the book When Economics is Necessary. 

I am an applied empirical micro-economist specializing in causal inference and large-scale data analysis in the fields of health, education, and labor. My research focuses on understanding how investments in human capital influence individual and societal well-being, particularly in Africa and Asia, where these relationships remain insufficiently understood. I employ rigorous econometric and experimental methods—including randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental designs—to evaluate policy interventions that shape health and education outcomes, and social protection mechanisms.

I received my MD from Yonsei University (Korea), MPH from Seoul National University (Korea), and PhD in Economics from Columbia University (USA). My research has been published in leading journals such as Science, Review of Economics and Statistics, Journal of Public Economics, Journal of Development Economics, and Journal of Health Economics, among others.

Fields of Specialization:
Applied Microeconomics, Policy Evaluation, Health Economics, Education Economics, Personnel Economics, Public Economics, Social Security, and Development Economics

Institute of Population and Human Capital (인구와 인재 연구원), Founding Director: 2025-

Health-Family-Labor Economics Research Team 

Economic Development and Cultural Change, Associate Editor, 2025-