Kerstin Norris

Kerstin joined APARC in July 2024 as a research associate, bringing her expertise to support the Korea Program. She completed her Master of Arts at Stanford's Center for East Asian Studies. She wrote a Master's thesis titled "Between Rhetoric and Reality: Examining the Impact of Populist Attitudes on Political Engagement in South Korea." Her research interests include Korean politics, U.S.-Korean relations, popular sovereignty, and political theory.

Kerstin received her bachelor's degree in international studies (relations and diplomacy specialization) with a minor in Spanish and a bachelor’s degree in Korean with research distinction from Ohio State University. She spent a year as an exchange student at Sungkyunkwan University's Inter-University Center for Korean Studies, expanding her language skills. Outside work, Kerstin can be found hiking on local trails, playing tennis on campus, or cooking new recipes with friends.