Kerstin Norris

Kerstin served as a research associate supporting the Stanford Next Asia Policy Lab and the Korea Program from July 2024 to July 2026. Starting fall 2026, she is a doctoral student in Stanford's Department of Sociology.

Kerstin completed her Master of Arts at Stanford's Center for East Asian Studies, where 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 expanding her language skills as an exchange student at Sungkyunkwan University's Inter-University Center for Korean Studies. Outside work, Kerstin can be found hiking on local trails, playing tennis on campus, or cooking new recipes with friends.