Younghwan Choi is a master’s student in Geography at Seoul National University, studying how climate change reshapes the habitats of crops and humans across time. His research combines crop-habitat modeling with paleoclimate reconstruction to improve how warm and transitional periods are represented in climate models.
Originally trained in History Education, he became interested in climate–society linkages and later drew inspiration from Professor Axel Timmermann’s work at the IBS Center for Climate Physics, which explores how past climatic shifts transformed crop and human habitats.
His current work focuses on projecting future crop-habitat shifts under climate change and refining CMIP6–PMIP4 model performance through Holocene proxy evidence.
(2024) BA in History Education, Pusan National University
Projecting future habitat shifts of major European crops under climate change using high-resolution climate models, in collaboration with an external climate physics research group.
Reconstructing mid-Holocene climate transitions from southern coastal Korea to refine CMIP6–PMIP4 simulations that underestimate regional warmth during the Holocene Climate Optimum.
Reconstructing the Mid-Holocene Warm-to-Cool Transition in Southern Coastal Korea Using Multiproxy Peat Records
Social Science Research Talent Development Program [사회과학연구인력육성사업], College of Social Sciences, Seoul National University — Research Grant Awarded, 2025
Period: April 2024 – January 2026
Amount: 2,000,000 KRW (ca. $1,455)
Choi, Y. & Park, J. (2025). Methodological Review of the Warm-to-Cold Transition Based on Sediment Core Analysis from Jeju Island. Annual Meeting of the Korean Geography Conference, Seoul, South Korea, June 27-28.
Choi, Y. & Park. J. (2025) Preliminary Reconstruction of a Warm-to-Cold Transition Using Sediment Core Analysis from Jeju Island. Spring Meeting of the Korea Association for Quaternary Research, Gyeongsan, South Korea, June 19. | Awarded Best Presentation Prize
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)— Intern, Water & Rural Infrastructure and Renewable Energy (WRIE) Team
Rome, Italy | Sep. 2025 – Feb. 2026
• Support analytical reviews of climate-resilient water and renewable energy portfolios in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia.
• Conduct comparative research on rural adaptation projects in Mali, Rwanda, Cambodia, and Vietnam, integrating socioeconomic and hydrological data.
• Contribute to IFAD’s knowledge systematization by synthesizing methodological insights from project evaluations and drafting technical notes for high-level dialogues.
Institute for Korean Regional Studies, Seoul National University — Research Assistant & Administrative Coordinator
Seoul, Korea | Sep. 2024 – Aug. 2025
• Support faculty research on geomorphological impacts of climate change while independently conducting interdisciplinary studies on the socioeconomic effects of extreme climate events
• Analyze climate-induced disruptions in rural agricultural supply chains, with a focus on heatwaves, sea-level rise, and labor productivity
• Contribute to a pollen-based Holocene paleoclimate reconstruction project to improve scenario-based climate modeling
Korea Environment Safety & Health Association — Team Lead
Seoul, Korea | Jun. 2024 – Aug. 2024
• Led national legislative advocacy for asbestos safety, organizing a National Assembly forum to revise outdated asbestos regulations for construction sites
• Directed the development of an online asbestos safety education platform for at-risk construction laborers
• Joined the association with a commitment to addressing environmental health inequities observed during campus renovation projects
yhchoi5@snu.ac.kr
16-M205, 1, Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea