Kyungin Kim uses qualitative and quantitative methods to examine the impact of immigration and incarceration experiences on youth and families. Specifically, she explores (a) how legal and carceral systems permeate family communication by imposing structural barriers, and (b) the protective and promotive communicative practices families develop in response to these challenges to support their well-being.
Kyungin Kim is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research examines how legal and carceral systems, and their intersections with modes of social marginalization such as race, ethnicity, class, immigration status, and gender‚ shape everyday family communication among impacted individuals (e.g., undocumented immigrants, family members of the incarcerated). She also investigates how certain communicative practices that families develop under such circumstances can promote or hinder their well-being. Through her work, she aims to generate translational research that illuminates critical support gaps as well as the rich cultural and social capitals sustaining these families.
Kyungin brings a wealth of research experience from corporate (Airbnb), government (Korea Research Institute for Professional Education and Training), and nonprofit (World Trade Centers Association) settings to her current projects at UCSB, under the mentorship of Dr. Jennifer Kam. Her recent works have been recognized with Top Paper Awards from the Family and Interpersonal Communication Divisions at the National Communication Association. With a passion for teaching, she strives to demystify research terms and processes for students from diverse backgrounds and received the UCSB Mentoring Award in 2024.
M.A. (2024), University of California, Santa Barbara (Communication)
Ed.M. (2021), Harvard University (Prevention Science and Practice)
B.A. (2017), University of Puget Sound (International Political Economy)