Kim is a PhD student at the Department of International Development, King's College London, specialising in food security, rural livelihoods, and youth empowerment within the context of agricultural entrepreneurship. Her research explores how building local capacity and securing fundamental assets can create more sustainable and resilient agricultural communities and food systems in Indonesia.

She holds a Master of Arts in International Development from George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs and a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs with a minor in Business Administration from Northeastern University, Boston. While at George Washington, she collaborated with Save the Children on a Capstone Project evaluating ICT-infused educational interventions in Bangladesh's government primary school systems, assessing their impact on education quality. She also served as a gender advisor for Caritas Indonesia in Nias, Sumatra, where she analysed household gender dynamics through qualitative research to enhance livelihood development programs and ensure equitable distribution of project benefits across communities.

Research

Thesis title: 'Promoting Long-Term Food Security in Indonesia: A Case Study on Enhancing Livelihood Development'

Kim's doctoral research centres on the empirical perspectives of rural young farmers in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, examining how agricultural initiatives can create sustainable income opportunities whilst addressing food security challenges. Within a context of climatic vulnerability and intergenerational agricultural discontinuity, she explores how targeted initiatives can enhance asset accumulation and strengthen food system resilience.

Using mixed-methods research integrating photovoice with quantitative household surveys, she is developing an asset access index to measure youth capabilities and resource access. Her work moves beyond deficit-based approaches to identify how existing community assets can be leveraged for sustainable livelihoods and improved food access.

PhD supervision

• Principal supervisor: Dr Eduardo Ortiz-Juarez
• Secondary supervisor: Dr Aiko Ikemura Amaral

Further details

See Kim's research profile