Welcome, Haein Cho!
What did you do before you joined the IIIEE?
Before joining the IIIEE, I worked at Samsung Electronics, focusing on carbon management and decarbonization strategies in global semiconductor supply chains. Prior to that, I worked in research and operational roles focused on sustainability across several international organizations and research institutions, including the National Assembly of Korea and the United Nations Children’s Fund. Across these roles, I engaged with sustainability challenges from multiple perspectives from data-driven assessment and policy design to corporate implementation in practice.
Can you tell us about your area of research and how you became passionate about it?
My research focuses on AI-driven analysis and tools that provide industrial sustainability practices and policies to accelerate decarbonization across global value chains. My interest in this field emerged during my earlier work implementing sustainability projects in the field during my time with the United Nations. Observing the socio-technical gaps that often hinder sustainability initiatives motivated me to study how interactions between technologies, policies, and organizations shape sustainability outcomes. This led me to explore how advanced analytical methods, including AI, can help uncover these dynamics.
Ultimately, my goal is to develop analytical tools and frameworks that help policymakers and businesses better understand what works, under which conditions and why in the transition towards low-carbon industrial systems.
Were you familiar with the IIIEE. Before joining, and what motivated you to apply?
Yes, I had been familiar with the IIIEE because of its strong reputation in sustainability research and its interdisciplinary approach to addressing complex environmental challenges. What particularly attracted me was the institute’s focus on connecting research, policy, and practice. The IIIEE brings together expertise in environmental governance, sustainable business, and technological innovation, which provides an ideal environment to pursue research that bridges academic insights with real-world impact.
What inspires you?
I am inspired by possibilities of using emerging technologies including AI to address some of the most pressing sustainability challenges of our time. The transition to a low-carbon society would require not only ambitious policies and commitments but also data-driven evidence about which strategies are truly effective. The fact that there is still so much to discover about how organizations, policies, and technologies interact in sustainability transition motivates me to continue exploring these questions.
What do you love most about your work?
What I enjoy most about research is the opportunity to constantly learn and connect ideas across different fields. Sustainability challenges are inherently complex, involving technology, policy, economics and human behaviour. Working in an interdisciplinary environment like the IIIEE allows me to explore these connections and collaborate with colleagues who bring diverse perspectives. It is especially rewarding when research insights can contribute to practical solutions that help accelerate the transition toward more sustainable industrial system.
