Dr. So Jin Lee will join the Pitt community this fall as an Assistant Professor of International Affairs with a focus on international security. Her research focuses on questions related to economic statecraft, nuclear weapons, and interstate conflict with a regional focus on East Asia, interests she traces back to her childhood.
“Being Korean, I grew up with the North Korean issue at the forefront of every administration’s policy discussion,” she said. “Naturally, I was more engaged with nuclear weapons, foreign policy and diplomacy, and international cooperation than the average kid by pure exposure.”
But a visit to North Korea while in high school offered a new perspective on issues she’d heard about for years, and Lee found herself thinking critically about policy decisions and the future of the region.
"Marveling at Mount Kumkang’s beauty while lamenting the surface-level interactions I experienced with the locals due to restrictions, I became more interested in understanding not only why and how inter-Korean relations had developed the way it did, but more importantly, what could be done about it going forward.”
Lee is a Stanton Nuclear Security Postdoctoral Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School and was previously a Grand Strategy, Security, and Statecraft Postdoctoral Fellow jointly appointed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard Kennedy School. She holds an MA and PhD from Duke University in Political Science and, prior to graduate school, worked as a Researcher for the Political Section at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Washington, DC.
Looking ahead to the fall, Lee is perhaps most excited by the opportunity to join the vibrant and supportive community she’s witnessed here at Pitt.
“I have always dreamed of working at a collegial, collaborative, interdisciplinary environment that values both academic and policy contributions… GSPIA is all that and more – something I didn’t think was possible!”
Fun Fact: Food is the way to her heart and she loves sharing big meals (and wine!) with friends.
“I also enjoy nothing more than hiking on a perfectly crisp but sunny day, so I’d happily take recommendations for fun trails to check out in Pittsburgh!”