Professor Kyung Ryul Park specializes in the intersection between digital technology and global development. He has the unique perspective of being in academia while being a development practitioner, with a background of working in the field of international development for seven years in Tanzania, India, and the United States. 

Professor Park double majored in Chemical Engineering and International Relations in Seoul National University (SNU), and his first experience with science policy was through Model United Nations (UN). According to him, 

“I realized that scientific evidence and technological innovation sometimes goes beyond just lab work and research institutes. They are directly related to policy and international politics; some of the themes of the Model UN at that time was genetically modified organisms (GMOs). There were tensions between countries that export GMOs and countries that import GMOs - those kinds of food security and environmental issues were fascinating for me as an engineering student, because before that I didn’t even know about those kinds of intersections between science, technology, and international relations. So that was my very first turning point, to think about maybe I’m more interested in social science. But at the same time, I still wanted to study engineering. Almost every night, I was debating with myself — it was painful, actually, [trying] to find my own identity.” 

How did you decide to go into science and technology policy?

After [graduating college], I went to Tanzania as a volunteer through the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) program, and I was assigned to provide computer training for military personnel and students in the Kilimanjaro region. In total, I spent two and a half years in Tanzania [teaching in] secondary school and technical college. Based on my hybrid interest in science and technology and international relations, I found myself really [interested] in development cooperation, especially science and technology and innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which at that time, was not yet explored at the academic level nor in academic literature. That was one of the happiest times in my life; I got malaria three times and lost 17 kilograms, but mentally, I learned a lot from the local people. [Because of this, I debated]: am I Korean, or do I want to be cosmopolitan? I was eager to work for international organizations for my entire career path, so many times I asked myself if I want to live outside of the Korean peninsula. That kind of debate shaped my career. 

I started working with international organizations. I worked in India for a year [with the International Vaccine Institute], and after that I applied for a masters program at the Harvard Kennedy School. I learned greatly from my advisor there, and I became more confident that maybe there is a path for me. In Korea, there is a kind of pressure to fit [myself] into the existing framework, but I wanted to be more multidisciplinary and multicultural. 

Those were the major debates I had with myself, but I found that maybe there is some path. When I was in Korea, there were so many great teachers and mentors who helped me a lot, but in terms of professional career, there was no kind of role model because [my interests are not very common] in terms of working between academia and as a practitioner. 

After my masters program, I started working at the World Bank headquarters. It was good for me to understand and to have a big picture of the complex dynamics between the headquarters and the field. 

These very diverse experiences that sometimes seem contradictory actually shaped me in my career. After 20 years, now I can connect these different dots. 

Any advice for undergraduate students? 

Challenge yourself to do something new. When you’re in your 20s, I think you still have a social safety net. [Even] if you fall down, you have relatively more opportunities to get up and run again. Explore your own interests and passions. For me, one of the most difficult things was [knowing] what I liked or what my passion really is. One option might be to try any opportunity and [see if you like it]. If you don’t, you can cross it out and try again. This can help narrow down your choices. For me, there was an opportunity to work for a consulting company, but after that, I realized that this was not for me. You might think that you spend your time for nothing, but [that’s not true]. You will have some gains or implications that maybe you are not into a particular sector.