Joyce J. Kim

Hi there! I'm a joint PhD candidate in Sociology and Higher Education at the University of Pennsylvania. I use qualitative methods to study mechanisms of inequality and mobility in the college-to-labor market transition. My work encompasses several areas, including education, culture, organizations, work, race/class/gender, mobility, inequality, and morality. 

A recent study in Social Problems, examines how the intersection of race and class shaped the moral dimension of students' career choices at an elite university. Based on their backgrounds, students raised various moral justifications, including different "contingent objections" and "linked objections." This research has been recognized by the American Sociological Association and the Society for the Study of Social Problems. 

Before beginning my PhD, I worked as a researcher at Harvard Business School, conducted program evaluation for Year Up, a national workforce development nonprofit for young adults, and studied North Korean refugees' civic participation as a Fulbright fellow in South Korea.

I also enjoy running and biking around places (and eating yummy things along the way). 

Please feel free to reach out if you have questions about my research or if you are applying to graduate school, especially if you identify as a first-generation low-income college student or from a historically underrepresented group.