I genuinely enjoy organizing conferences. For me, conferences are not just about presenting papers, but about creating spaces where people feel excited to share ideas, receive thoughtful feedback, and form intellectual communities. I especially value bringing together scholars across institutions, career stages, and countries, and designing settings that encourage open, generous, and rigorous exchange.

I helped launch the Local Political Economy Conference (LPEC) in 2017, co-hosted with Mike Sances and Jessica Trounstine, with support from the Department of Political Science at Vanderbilt University. Since its inception, LPEC has become a vibrant venue for scholars of local politics to present new research, engage in substantive discussion, and build lasting scholarly networks.

From 2020 to 2023, I co-organized the APSA Pre-Conference on Money in Politics with Mike Barber and Zhao Li. This pre-conference provided a dedicated space—particularly for graduate students and junior scholars—working on campaign finance, lobbying, political connections, and organized interests to share work, receive feedback, and connect with others in the field.

Beginning in 2024, in collaboration with an excellent team at Copenhagen Business School, I began organizing the CBS–Princeton Money in Politics Conference, held each June in Copenhagen—my favorite cities in the world. The conference brings together an international group of scholars working at the intersection of business and politics and aims to foster sustained cross-national and interdisciplinary exchange.

Group Photo from 2024 CBS-Princeton Money in Politics Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark

Starting in summer 2024, I launched the Princeton–Seoul National University Summer Institute , which is especially meaningful to me given my roots. The Department of Political Science and International Relations at Seoul National University has been an invaluable partner in this effort. The Institute is designed to foster academic exchange between scholars in the United States and South Korea and to build sustained connections among visiting faculty, local academics, and students. It brings together faculty, graduate students, and local scholars for research presentations, workshops, and in-depth discussion. A student poster session is a central component of the program, providing students with valuable opportunities to present their work and receive direct, constructive feedback from faculty participants.

Group Photo from 2025 Princeton-SNU Summer Institute, Seoul, South Korea

Student Poster Session at 2024 Princeton-SNU Summer Institute

Professor Jim Bisbee (Vanderbilt)’s Presentation at 2024 Princeton-SNU Conference

In summer 2026, I will co-organize the Seoul Political Economy Conference in collaboration with Seoul National University’s Department of Economics and the Center for Redistributive Justice. Our goal is to establish an annual conference in Seoul that brings together leading political economy scholars from Korea, across Asia, and the United States, and that creates a space for intellectually vibrant exchange across regions. The inaugural conference will be held on June 10–11, 2026.

My friends joke that when I die, my tombstone will read, “Hye Young loved bringing people together.” I take that as both a compliment and a lifelong assignment!