Beginning in July, 2020, Dr. Aram Hur will begin as the new Co-Director of IKS. Dr. Hur is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and Truman School of Public Affairs. Her research focuses on nationalism and democracy in East Asia, with special focus on issues of migration, citizenship, and national identity change on the Korean peninsula. She was selected as a CSIS 2018-19 U.S.-Korea NextGen Scholar and comes to MU after holding the Provost Postdoctoral Fellowship at New York University. She earned her Ph.D. in Politics from Princeton University. Read more about her research and background here.

“I’m honored and excited to join the leadership at IKS, at what I see to be a critical point in its growth. MU has long had strong connections to Korea. It was one of the first public universities in the U.S. to begin accepting international students from Korea, and the intellectual home to leading scholars and public servants in Korean politics.

My vision is to build on that legacy and realize MU’s tremendous potential to become a leading academic institution on Korea in the Midwest. From South Korea’s impressive success in containing COVID-19 to North Korea’s continued nuclear threats, Korea has really become a central player in Asia and worldwide politics. Supporting an accurate and contemporary understanding of Korea through cutting-edge research has never been more important. 

To that end, we are launching several new programs this year. The Undergraduate and Graduate Fellows programs will offer mentoring, professional training, and research feedback opportunities for MU students conducting original research related to Korea. The IKS Research Symposium, what we hope will become a signature annual event, will provide an opportunity for student and faculty researchers to present their work to the broader MU community and beyond.

I look forward to working with my fantastic Co-Director and long-time member of the MU community, Dr. Seungkwon You, as well as the excellent faculty and students at MU in the coming years as we continue to build out IKS.”