Pyung Kim

(Name pronunciation: P-young Kim)

I am a Postdoctoral Scholar at the Center for Spatial Studies and Data Science, University of California, Santa Barbara. My research lies at the intersection of geography, public policy, and data science. My work has three primary threads:

  1. Place, Policy, and Human Capital: How do childhood neighborhood environments shape human capital, and what place-based policies can most effectively build it?
  2. Spatial Causal Inference: How can quasi-experimental designs credibly identify policy effects when spatial interdependence, spillovers, and boundary definitions threaten standard assumptions?
  3. AI for Public Policy: How can AI be applied to identify who needs public services, where they are, and why they aren’t being reached?

I use a wide range of methods, including econometrics, quasi-experimental design, machine learning, and GIS. My analyses draw on longitudinal administrative records (more than 10 million individuals), firm-level emissions data, and real-time health records collected using portable devices. Beyond quantitative analysis, I also conduct fieldwork in under-resourced settings (including rural Kenya) to engage directly with communities. I apply these approaches to questions spanning disability, human capital, public health, and climate change.

I have led and contributed to grant-funded projects supported by U.S. federal agencies, including the Social Security Administration (SSA; #JSIT24-04) and the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR, #90DPBU0006), as well as Korean government agencies, including the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER), and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

I am the recipient of the JSIT Research Competition Award from the Social Security Administration (2024), the Brian J.L. Berry Scholarship (2021–2025), the Brain Korea 21 PLUS Scholarship (2018-2020), the President’s Award for Outstanding Graduate (2018), and the National Excellence Scholarship of Korea (2015-2018).

Research Interests

  • Health, Social, and Disability Policy
  • Environmental and Climate Policy
  • Causal Inference / Policy Evaluation
  • Data Science / AI

Contact Me

pyungkim@ucsb.edu
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