Meet The IMPACT Research Team

Esther Sekyoung Choi

Visiting Professor

Contact: esther.choi@kaist.ac.kr

Sieun Park

Ph.D. student

Contact: iop0130@kaist.ac.kr

#Financial modeling #Climate-related financial risk

Sieun is interested in analyzing climate-related financial risks at the asset level and developing financial models for this purpose. She has experience participating in projects related to developing climate risk management models for private enterprises. She envisions advancing the climate risk assessment framework through interdisciplinary research.

Heeyeon Kim

Ph.D. student

Contact: heeyeon_kim@kaist.ac.kr

#Sustainable finance #Green asset valuation

Heeyeon is interested in green asset valuation techniques specifically and in the sustainable finance industry broadly. Before joining the lab, she worked at SK Research Institute for SUPEX Management, gaining experience in dealing with sustainable management from a corporate perspective. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics.

#ClimateFinance #NatureFinance #SustinableFinance #BlendedFinance #ClimateStartupEcosystems

Esther Sekyoung Choi is Research Lead at World Resources Institute (WRI) and a Lead Author for the Finance Chapter of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)'s Seventh Assessment Report. With over a decade of experience across climate finance and international governance, she has held research and policy roles at Stanford University's Sustainable Finance Initiative, the Green Climate Fund, the World Bank, and the Global Green Growth Institute. Her work focuses on scaling private-sector contributions to climate and nature action through blended finance, de-risking strategies, and enabling early-stage climate startups, particularly in emerging and developing economies. She currently serves as a Visiting Professor at KAIST, where her research and teaching focus on sustainable finance, climate startup ecosystems, and the institutional conditions that enable climate innovation to scale.

Beomseo Kim

Ph.D. student

Contact: kbs0799@kaist.ac.kr

#ML for Infrastructure #Risk Quantification

Beomseo focuses on modeling the interaction between climate variability and energy systems. His work applies machine learning to time-series and geospatial data to uncover patterns, quantify risk, and forecast system behavior. Current projects emphasize scalable pipelines, interpretability, and scenario-based assessment for resilient infrastructure planning. He aims to translate rigorous modeling into practical tools for policy and operations. He holds a B.S. in Civil & Environmental Plant Engineering.

Nahyung Kang

M.S. student

Contact: kangnhmk6432@kaist.ac.kr

#Sustainable finance #Climate-related financial risk

Nahyung is interested in Sustainable Investment strategies and Decision-making related to infrastructure development and operations. She plans to study how to improve, predict, and effectively utilize green data, which often has limitations, as a reliable indicator. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry and is also interested in Energy Infrastructure Financing.

Bomin Ella Sohn

M.S. student

Contact: bomin.ella.sohn@kaist.ac.kr

#Climate-related financial risk #Sustainability Integration

Bomin is deeply focused on environmental and climate economics, with a particular interest in assessing climate-related financial risks and developing climate risk assessment frameworks and models. Before joining IMPACT Lab, Bomin gained valuable experience as a research intern with the Macroeconomic team at the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), where she worked on Climate Action and Inclusive Development projects. With a solid academic background in Environmental Engineering and International Studies, Bomin is dedicated to advancing climate economics and financial risk analysis research, aspiring to contribute as a global environmental expert.

Chaerim Song

M.S. student

Contact: chaerim.song@kaist.ac.kr

#Sustainable finance #Just transition

With a background in Sociology and Economics, Chaerim studies how social dynamics and stakeholder decisions influence sustainable transitions. She uses AI and computational methods to examine how structural inequalities shape community experiences of climate change, with a focus on sustainable finance and just energy transitions.

Before her master’s, she worked as a research assistant at the ESG Research Center of the Korean Productivity Center, contributing to ESG assessment platform projects for SMEs. She approaches climate action as a social process requiring both empathy and a grounded understanding of economic and financial systems, aiming to support rational, inclusive progress.

Contact: hayoonsong00@kaist.ac.kr

#Climate Risk&Opportunity Assessment #Sustainable finance

Hayoon is interested in assessing climate risks and opportunities, as well as sustainable finance. Prior to joining the lab, she majored in Climate and Energy Systems Engineering and Economics. She also gained extensive experience in net-zero consulting projects at the Green Value Creation Center, focusing on enhancing corporate sustainability.