Jiyoung Kim

Jiyoung Kim is a Ph.D. candidate in political science at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research focuses on climate change, identity, and intergroup relations in Sub-Saharan Africa, primarily Nigeria. In the context of climate-induced migration and economic competition, her current work examines intergroup tolerance, which determines conflict risk among different social groups affected by climate change. She is particularly interested in how economic distress caused by climate change alters pre-existing social dynamics, and exploring strategies to mitigate intergroup intolerance. In her research, she combines geospatial data analysis, surveys, experiments, and in-depth interviews conducted during fieldwork. Her research highlights the individual-level psychological mechanisms that advance our knowledge on the link between climate change and conflict.