PSI International Instructional Faculty & Staff Profiles
Baskin, Robert
Dr. Robert Baskin is a Senior Mathematical Statistician at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) with over twenty years experience in statistical consulting and managing statistical projects. At AHRQ, he is responsible for conducting a broad range of statistical research and analyses and providing expert statistical and methodological consultation to support AHRQ’s intramural and extramural research efforts. Dr. Baskin previously worked for over ten years at the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the Office of Prices and Living Conditions in support of the Consumer Price Index. Dr. Baskin also worked for Westat on the National Sample of Parents and Youth, Drug Abuse Warning Network and National Aquaculture Study.
Boon, Maarten
Maarten Boon graduated in Econometrics (Masters) in Tilburg, The Netherlands and subsequently worked for more than 35 years in official statistics as a senior line and programme manager in the national statistical institute of his native country, as well as in various international positions for the European Commission and the United Nations. He has been a faculty member of the United Nations Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific in Japan for 5.5 years. Most recently, he completed a 4-year statistical capacity building project as Chief Technical Advisor for UNDP.
Carter, Woody
Dr. Woody Carter designed NORC’s first centralized telephone facility and managed university calling centers at both Northern Arizona University and the University of Oregon. During his 20 years at NORC, he planned and executed a variety of studies, from local projects to million-dollar national projects. As a full-time faculty member at the University of Chicago, Woody teaches statistics and research methods. He holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in sociology from the University of Chicago. Dr. Carter’s international experience includes Peace Corps in India and studying relations between Pakistani immigrants and Anglos in the north of England.
Chun, Asaph Young
Dr. Asaph Young Chun, the Program Chair of ASA Statistics without Borders, directs PSI programs. Dr. Chun is a survey methodologist and sociologist with about 25 years of experience in large-scale survey and census research funded by and conducted for U.S. federal agencies, such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the National Center for Education Statistics, Department of Health and Human Service, and National Science Foundation. His research focuses on theory-driven nonresponse and measurement errors with current research devoted to survey costs and errors modeling, and the use of administrative records, paradata and big data with his theory of "pandata." He earned his A.B. and M.A. in Communication Studies with emphasis on interdisciplinary survey research at the University of Michigan and Ph.D. in Sociology at University of Maryland.
Chung, Neo Christopher
Neo Christopher Chung is a Ph.D. candidate in Quantitative and Computational Biology at Princeton
University. Motivated by modern genomic technologies, he develops and applies statistical methods for
dimensional data. He has diverse teaching experience, ranging from biosciences in secondary school to
introductory statistics.
University. Motivated by modern genomic technologies, he develops and applies statistical methods for
dimensional data. He has diverse teaching experience, ranging from biosciences in secondary school to
introductory statistics.
Cribben, Ivor
Dr. Ivor Cribben is an Assistant Professor of Statistics and Xerox Faculty Fellow (2013) in the Department of Finance and Statistical Analysis at the Alberta School of Business, University of Alberta, Canada. His research interests include statistical methods in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), time series analysis, methods for high dimensional data, graphical models and non-parametric statistics. He has taught many statistics courses, including Introduction to Statistics, Forecasting for Planners and Managers and Multivariate Data Analysis. In 2008, he was awarded the Howard Levene Outstanding Teaching Award by Columbia University and completed two summer internships (2008, 2009) at Goldman Sachs Group, New York. Dr. Cribben holds a BA in Mathematics from Trinity College Dublin, an MSc in Applied Statistics from University College Dublin, and a PhD in Statistics from Columbia University.
Cyffka, Kristen
Kristen Cyffka is a former mathematical statistician at the US Census Bureau, where she worked on sample design issues in the American Community Survey. She received her MS and BA from the University of Wisconsin - Madison, where she also worked at the University of Wisconsin Survey Center.
Fietkau, Sebastian
Sebastian Fietkau is a researcher at the Mannheim Centre for European Social Science (MZES) of the University of Mannheim, Germany. He received a M.Sc. in Research in Political Science from the University Pompeu Fabra Barcelona, Spain, as well as a M.A. and B.A. in Political and Administrative Science from the University Konstanz, Germany. His primary research areas are in methods and statistics of empirical social research and electoral and attitude research. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in social science at the University of Mannheim, Germany.
Freeland, Edward
Dr. Edward Freeland is the Director of the Princeton University Survey Research Center and a Lecturer at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. Dr. Freeland teaches a graduate seminar on survey research methods and advises faculty and students who are conducting survey research projects. Previously, Dr. Freeland was a Senior Research Director in the Social and Policy Research group at Response Analysis in Princeton, NJ, where he was responsible for developing new projects in the areas of social welfare and health policy. He was also Survey Director at Mathematica Policy Research (1992-96) and served as a Program and Policy Analyst for the New York City Housing Vacancy Survey (1989-92). Dr. Freeland received his Ph.D. in Sociology from Princeton University in 1992 and his B.A in Philosophy from the University of Connecticut in 1981.
Gill, Jeff
Dr. Jeff Gill is a professor of Statistics in the Department of Political Science, the Division of Biostatistics, and Department of Surgery (Public Health Sciences) at Washington University. His research applies Bayesian modeling and data analysis (decision theory, testing, model selection, elicited priors) to questions in general social science quantitative methodology, political behavior and institutions, medical/health data analysis including dosage effects and psychiatric trauma, and epidemiological measurement/data issues, using computationally intensive tools (Monte Carlo methods, MCMC, stochastic optimization, non-parametrics). He is faculty in both the College of Arts & Sciences and the School of Medicine at Washington University.
Griffin, Mark
Dr. Mark Griffin is the founding director of the Australian Development Agenc for Statistics and Information Systems. He has spent the last 15 years working in medical statistics. He currently serves as the Chair of the Biostatistics Section (Statistical Society of Australia), Chair of the Section for International Engagement (Statistical Society of Australia), Chair of the Statistics and Information Systems Asia-Pacific Network (Pan-Asian Clinical Research Association), and Chair of the Friends of Australia (American Statistical Association). In 2012-2014 he will serve on the Committee for Outreach Education for the American Statistical Association.
Jo, Hyunkyoo
Hyunkyoo Jo is a Research Intern at the Pyongyang Summer institute, focusing on public outreach and supporting the da Vinci Grant Program. He is currently pursuing his B.S. in International Politics with a focus on Asia and International Law, Ethics, and Institutions at Georgetown University.
Jones, Therese
Therese Jones is currently a graduate student in astrophysics at UC Berkeley, and will complete her PhD in science policy. She is a Program Associate and Research Analyst with PSI, concentrating on fundraising, research, grants, and outreach. She received Bachelor's degrees in astronomy, physics, international studies, and German at Penn State University. Her primary interests are East Asian research and development policies, and promoting cross-cultural innovation.
Kang, Stephanie
Stephanie Kang is a Program Associate and Research Analyst for the Pyongyang Summer Institute and research intern for the ISR Foundation. She manages PSI faculty recruitment and training, and supports the Da Vinci Grant Program. She recently graduated with an M.A. in International Studies from the Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS) at Seoul National University, Republic of Korea. She received her B.A. in political science from the University of California, Irvine.
Kalinowski, Kevin
Dr. Kevin Kalinowski is a psychometrician at the UNT Health Science Center in Fort Worth, Texas. He works in the Center for Learning and Development supporting faculty researchers with psychometric, statistical, and evaluative design and analysis. His background includes work in multidimensional item response theory, exposure control in computerized adaptive testing, and reliability and validity in high‐ stakes testing. Currently, his research interests focus on non‐cognitive factors associated with success in medical school and postgraduate career choices. In addition, he teaches a course on testing and measurement to the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine faculty enrolled in the TCOM Academy of Medical Education.
Kretchun, Nathaniel
Nat Kretchun joined InterMedia Survey Institute in 2009 as a member of the East Asia Team where he designs, oversees and analyzes quantitative and qualitative research projects on media and public opinion throughout the region. He specializes in research with hard-to-access and under-researched populations. Nat holds an M.A. in International Economics and China/Korea studies from Johns Hopkins SAIS, and a B.A. in Economics and East Asian Studies from the University of Oklahoma. He has also studied at a Yonsei University in Seoul and Fudan University in Shanghai.
Kang, Ye Jin
Ye jin Kang is reading for a MSc in Medical Anthropology and MPP at the University of Oxford on the Rhodes Scholarship. She is a Research Analyst with PSI. She graduated from Rice University with a BS in Biology and BA in Policy Studies. An aspiring physician policymaker, Ye jin aims at supporting DPRK healthcare infrastructure. She taught a course at Rice called 'Demystifying DPRK' under the academic supervision of PUST Co-Chairman Dr. Malcolm Gillis. Her activities include: running Engage Korea, a humanitarian educational initiative on bringing peace to the Korean Peninsula through collaborative interdisciplinary dialogue on DPRK-related issues, as well as Interdisciplinary Health Network, a public health online education program.
Lee, Yena
Yena Lee is Associate Director of ISR Foundation and Associate Director of PSI, overseeing PSI program management and grant developments. She also serves as Director of the da Vinci Grant Program, supporting innovative interdisciplinary survey research. She received her B.A. in philosophy from Yale University and is a PhD candidate in philosophy at Princeton University. She has worked with the International Strategy and Reconciliation Foundation (ISR) since 2006, and in 2007 was the first American high school student to enter the DPRK in recorded history for humanitarian and education service.
Lee, Youngjo
Dr. Youngjo Lee is a professor in the department of statistics at Seoul National University, Republic of Korea and head of the Data Science and Knowledge Creation Center. He has been a fellow at the Royal Statistical Society and a member of the International Statistical Institute since 1997, and a fellow at the Korean Academy of Science and Technology since 2012. His current research interests include extension, application, and software development for Hierarchical Generalized Linear Models. He contributed to a wide range of applications, including combining information over trials, analysis for genetics, spatial and temporal models, and educations.
Li, Yifei
Yifei Li is a doctoral student in the sociology program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a Program Associate and Research Analyst with PSI and works with grants, DVG, and curriculum development. He graduated from Fudan University in Shanghai, China, where he was born and raised. His research concerns urban sustainable development, poverty, and neighborhood effects. He is well-versed in spatial regression, causal inference, and social network analysis.
Naurath, Nicole
Nicole Naurath, Gallup World Poll Regional Director for Asia, is based in Gallup’s office in Bangkok. Naurath oversees research and data collection for Gallup’s World Poll and social and economic analysis efforts in Asia. She ensures the quality and consistency of Gallup’s research by managing all aspects of fieldwork across 24 countries. Prior to joining Gallup in 2006, Naurath completed her master’s degree in public policy from the University of Chicago. Before moving to Chicago, she lived for several years in Shanghai, China. Naurath earned a master’s in international affairs and a bachelor’s degree with a double major in political science and Spanish from The Florida State University.
Park, Sunghyun
Dr. Sunghyun Park is the President of the Korean Academy of Science & Technology (Korean version of the US National Academy of Science). He is a highly renowned statistician in Korea and currently is the Chair Professor in the Department of Management of Technology at Konkuk University. Park earned his PhD in Statistics from North Carolina State University, the United States.
Paulson, Rene
Dr. Rene Paulson, PSI Assistant Director, is currently a statistician at Texas Woman’s University and is both the founder and senior statistician for Elite Research, LLC. She received her Ph.D. and M.A. degree in experimental psychology from Texas Christian University after obtaining her B.A. from Ohio University. Dr. Paulson consults with faculty and graduate students on research design, statistics, software training, and manuscript preparation for their grant and personal research. She has conducted numerous national and international program evaluations for grant funded programs in areas such as education and health sciences. She taught DPRK undergraduate and graduate students who were enrolled in the PSI 2012.
Pennings, Jacquelyn
Dr. Jacquelyn Pennings is a biostatistician for Elite Research, LLC. She received her Ph.D. and M.A. in experimental psychology from Texas Christian University (TCU) after obtaining her B.A. from Belmont University. She is a statistical consultant for several institutions, including Denton Regional Hospital and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at TCU. Through her extensive training in statistics and research, as well as being personally involved as a researcher, Dr. Pennings has advised others on their various research issues and needs. She taught DPRK undergraduate and graduate students who were enrolled in the PSI 2012.
Pogostin, Brett
Brett Pogostin is currently a sophomore in Scarsdale High School and an intern at PSI. In his High School, he helps leads school-wide fundraising programs that send educational supplies to PSI and medical supplies to children in DPRK. Brett has also assisted in PSI related briefings at the US State Department and at Georgetown University. In addition to his work at PSI and with the ISR, he has honed his research skills by participating in group cohesion research under the guidance of the University of New Haven. He has also conducted two independent studies the first of which on oncolytic viruses and the second on childhood cognition and free will under the guidance of Cornell University.
Raj, Devaki
Devaki Raj is a Program Associate for PSI and manages the collection of resources for PSI. She recently completed her MSc in Applied Statistics at the University of Oxford. Her passion for public health statistics and the importance of collecting the right data stemmed from her undergraduate work with the Malaria Atlas Project and her work in India collecting health data from rural and tribal villages.
Sigley, Alek
Alek Sigley is a research Intern with PSI, focusing on public engagement as well as research and development. A student of art and science, Alek worked in an art gallery in Shanghai’s main art district at Moganshan Road, including organization of events at stageBACK art gallery in Shanghai He is fluent in Chinese and conversational in Japanese and Korean. Alek is a philosophy major at the Australian National University, currently taking a gap year at Fudan University, China.
Tae, Christian
Christian Tae is a research intern with the Pyongyang Summer Institute and GRAD office. He currently attends Stanford University. In addition to his work for PSI, he has performed and taught the clarinet to underprivileged children all around the world including Bolivia, South Korea, and the Dominican Republic. -
Terwilliger, Joseph
Dr. Joseph Terwilliger received his B.Mus. from the Peabody Conservatory of Music in tuba performance, and his Ph.D. from Columbia University in Genetics and Development, with his thesis focusing on development of statistical methods in human genetics. After a postdoc at the University of Oxford’s Wellcome Trust Center for Human Genetics, he returned to Columbia University where he remains on the faculty in the departments of Psychiatry and Genetics & Development. He has also worked for the past several years in Helsinki, Finland, as Professor of Genomic Epidemiology at the University of Helsinki, and a leading expert at the National Institute of Health and Welfare. Dr. Terwilliger has taught statistical genetics in the Wellcome Trust Advanced Courses in Cambridge, UK for the past 15 years. Dr. Terwilliger spent the summer of 2012 in Yanji, China studying the Pyongyang dialect of Korean, and has also previously visited the DPRK four times.
Weidemann, Christoph
Dr. Christoph Weidemann is an associate professor of Psychology at Swansea University in Wales, UK, studying memory, perception, and learning since he joined the Swansea faculty in 2010. He completed his Ph.D. in 2006 in Psychology and Cognitive Science at Indiana University, Bloomington, following undergraduate studies in psychology and computer science at the University of Bonn, Germany. Upon completion of his PhD, he worked as a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Pennsylvania.
Ying, Star
Star Ying currently works for the U.S. Census Bureau as part of a team that produces the 1, 3, and 5 year estimates for the American Community Survey. He earned his bachelor's degree in Mathematics and Economics at Canisius College and earned a master's degree in Statistics at Carnegie Mellon University.
Yoon, Nathan
Nathan Yoon is a research intern with the International Strategy and Reconciliation Foundation and the Pyongyang Summer Institute (PSI). He assisted PSI briefings at the US State Department and at Georgetown University. He led school-wide fundraising programs that send educational supplies to PSI and medical supplies to children in DPRK. Nathan attends Carnegie Mellon University.
Zilcken, Hans-Joachim
Hans-Joachim Zilcken holds a cand.oecon. in Managerial Economics from the School of Economics and Management, University of Aarhus in Denmark. Being committed to international project work since 1993, Zilcken has a wide range of experience to the delivery of technical services such as: Market Research, HRD Surveys, and Project Management. Through his previous work for major industrial concerns in the food and chemical industries, he has extensive international marketing experience including comprehensive marketing plans, market and competitive analysis, how to set up distribution networks, price management, and financing.
