Welcome. I am a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Identity and Conflict Lab at the University of Pennsylvania. I received my Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley in 2018. I study comparative politics, political behavior, and political methodology, with a regional focus on sub-Saharan Africa.

My research agenda centers on issues of democratic representation, political parties, and identity politics in the developing world. In my book project, Severed Connections: Political Parties and Democratic Representation in Africa, I investigate how political parties and the nature of candidate selection institutions influence the relationship between elected representatives and their constituents.

​My research has been generously supported by the Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies (KFAS), the Institute for International Studies (IIS), Center for African Studies (CAS), and the Peder Sather Center for Advanced Study at UC Berkeley,  the Research Council of Norway (RCN), as well as South Korea's Ministry of Education. 

Prior to moving to the US, I studied economics and public policy at Korea University, where I received my Bachelor's degree in 2007. I worked at the United Nations as a consultant, and served as a military interpreter/translator for Eighth United States Army (EUSA), United States Forces Korea (USFK).  In my spare time, I continue to pursue my hugely unsuccessful aspiration to become an amateur jazz piano player. 

You can reach me at dhchoi[at]sas.upenn.edu

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