Ms. Heejin YANG (alumna of SKKU, PhD in Economics) was appointed as a professor at the Department of Global Economics in Dongguk University.

It is very rare to see someone become a professor after receiving a degree at a Korean university. Most of the Economics professor in Korea earned their degree at a prestigious school in the overseas. Prof. Heejin YANG finished all of her studies in Korea. What is notable is that she studied three different majors at different levels (Undergraduate: Statistics, Graduate: Management, PhD: Economics). During her 3 years of doctoral program, she published more than 10 theses in the SSCI academic journal. This is an outstanding achievement when compared with other young professors in the field of Economics.

After finishing the graduate program, Prof. YANG worked at a finance company. She decided to go for a part-time doctoral program after feeling the need to have a deeper understanding of the economy while doing her job in the company. In the first semester of the program, she became deeply involved in the research and she decided to resign and become a full-time student in school.

She never thought of becoming a professor when she first began her doctoral program because it was unprecedented. However, the academic advisor told her to have a dream. She began acquiring many experience by participating in research, academic conferences, and presentations. Prof. Heejin YANG’s focus is on the micro-structure of the financial market. She was amused by the way it analysed/solved many important issues in the financial market using the big data accumulated from real-time orders. This was a perfect area for her since her major was in statistics. 

Prof. Heejin YANG said, “If you do not have a specific goal, your time during the doctoral program will be very long and tiring. You need to be guided by an academic advisor for directions and be encouraged by working together with colleagues.” She also expressed her hope as a professor, “My academic advisor always stressed the importance of education through research and training younger students. I would like to become a professor who actively research and train students just like my previous professor.”