Kihwan Bae, PhD is a Research Associate at the Knee Regulatory Research Center (KRRC) in the John Chambers College of Business and Economics at West Virginia University (WVU). Dr. Bae's goal as a researcher is to improve our understanding for labor market frictions and relevant public policies. His current research focuses a broad range of implications of occupational licensing, for example, on employment, migration, earnings inequality, healthcare, higher education, and student loan.

Prior to joining the center at WVU, Dr. Bae taught economics and business analytics at Saint Francis University in Loretto, PA. He also conducted macroeconomic research as an economist of the Bank of Korea in Seoul, Korea. Dr. Bae received a Ph.D. degree in economics from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, and a bachelor’s degree from Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea. During his undergraduate study, he and his colleagues won the National Monetary Policy Competition in Korea, a student competition like the College Fed Challenge.