PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Jin Soo Han

Also known as Jinsoo Han, 한진수

Jin Soo Han is an economist at KAIST whose research covers energy and environmental economics, the economics of AI and IT, and causal inference. They earned a B.A. in economics at the University of Chicago in 2012 and a Ph.D. at Wharton in 2017 with a dissertation on the US electricity sector, and in 2021 they were an assistant professor of economics at the Korea Air Force Academy. A comment in the American Economic Review in April 2021 and an article in the Journal of Industrial Economics in March 2024, both written with Jean-François Houde, Arthur A. van Benthem and Jose Miguel Abito, examined fuel procurement after US electricity restructuring. They are an assistant professor of IT management at the KAIST College of Business and hold an adjunct professorship in the AX department of the KAIST College of AI.

Now at
College of AI, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

Timeline

  1. 2012–2015

    Chicago and Wharton degrees

    They earn a B.A. in economics with general honors at the University of Chicago in 2012. At the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, they earn an M.S. in applied economics and managerial science in 2015.

  2. 2017

    A dissertation on US electricity

    They complete a Ph.D. in applied economics and managerial science at Wharton in 2017. Their dissertation, "Essays on the U.S. Electricity Sector", is advised by Jean-François Houde.

  3. April 2021

    A comment on electricity restructuring

    The American Economic Review publishes their comment on Cicala's 2015 paper in April 2021, written with Jean-François Houde, Arthur A. van Benthem and Jose Miguel Abito. Using robust statistics methods, the authors estimate the effect of US electricity restructuring on fuel procurement at less than one-half of the earlier estimate and statistically indistinguishable from zero.

  4. May 2021

    Economics at the Air Force Academy

    In May 2021, they are an assistant professor of economics at the Republic of Korea Air Force Academy.

  5. March 2024

    Agency frictions in procurement

    In March 2024, the Journal of Industrial Economics publishes "Agency Frictions and Procurement: New Evidence from U.S. Electricity Restructuring", written with Jose Miguel Abito, Jean-François Houde and Arthur A. van Benthem. The paper estimates how plant divestitures changed fuel procurement costs during restructuring, and finds lower costs for firms with strong bargaining power as coal purchasers and for firms locked into disadvantaged coal contracts beforehand.

  6. As of October 2026

    Assistant professor at KAIST

    They are an assistant professor in the IT Management group of the KAIST College of Business, with research areas in applied microeconomics, energy and environmental economics, and industrial organization. They also hold an adjunct professorship in the AX department of the KAIST College of AI, with research areas in the economics of AI and IT, causal inference, and sustainability and green innovation.

Career

  1. NowKAISTAssistant Professor
  2. NowCollege of AI, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and TechnologyAdjunct Professor
  3. From 2021Republic of Korea Air Force AcademyAssistant Professor of Economics

Education

  1. 2017University of PennsylvaniaM.S. and Ph.D. in applied economics and managerial science
  2. 2012University of ChicagoB.A. in economics

From the biography.

  1. The United States employs an estimated 48% of people shaping AIIncludes KAIST. We estimate where the people shaping AI work today, how universities, companies and research institutes split across countries, and how country shares have changed since the 1960s.
  2. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes KAIST. We estimate where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led. Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads with 467 former students, including 291 recorded doctorates.
  3. The company share of AI researchers’ top papers was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974Includes KAIST. We estimate where the people shaping AI worked when their most-cited papers appeared: the company share was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974, and Google led all organizations in 2020–2024.
  4. 44% of AI career moves go from one university to anotherIncludes KAIST. We estimate how 26,439 AI career moves link universities, companies, labs, nonprofits and government research centers, with decade counts, net flows and the top paths.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Jin Soo Han yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Faculty Directory (Seoul) > Faculty & Research > KAIST College of Business: Han, Jin Soo business.kaist.edu. Checked 21 October 2026.
  2. Jin Soo Han - The Mathematics Genealogy Project mathgenealogy.org. Checked 21 October 2026.
  3. When Does Regulation Distort Costs? Lessons from Fuel Procurement in US Electricity Generation: Comment - American Economic Association aeaweb.org. Checked 21 October 2026.
  4. When Does Regulation Distort Costs? Lessons from Fuel Procurement in US Electricity Generation: Comment (IDEAS/RePEc) ideas.repec.org. Checked 21 October 2026.
  5. Agency Frictions and Procurement: New Evidence from U.S. Electricity Restructuring (IDEAS/RePEc) ideas.repec.org. Checked 21 October 2026.
  6. Faculty | AX (KAIST College of AI) aicollege.kaist.ac.kr. Checked 21 October 2026.