Sejin Um

Welcome!

I am a Moon Family Postdoctoral Fellow at the James Joo-Jin Kim Center for Korean Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.

I am a sociologist of work and organizations, gender, culture, and family primarily using qualitative methods. My dissertation and book project uses over 120 in-depth interviews to examine how young, white-collar office workers in large conglomerate firms (chaebol) in Korea experience and evaluate their jobs and craft divergent career trajectories. I also work on topics of work and family in the U.S. context.

My research has appeared in Gender, Work & Organization and Social Sciences. I received my PhD in Sociology from New York University in 2025. Prior to NYU, I received my MA from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, and BA from Korea University, Seoul.

At NYU, I have taught courses on Research Methods, Capstone/Senior Thesis, as well as substantive courses such as Intro to Sociology, The Family, and Love and Sex in Modern Society. 

Email is the best way to reach me: sejinum@sas.upenn.edu

Google Scholar, ORCiD