Younghyun Lee

Welcome! I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I was a doctoral visiting fellow at the Immigration Research Initiative (IRI) in Fall 2024 and will be a visiting researcher at the Research Centre for Migration, Diversity and Justice (CMDJ) in April 2025 and at the Mannheim Centre for European Social Research (MZES) in May 2025.

My research examines how intergroup dynamics influence the political behavior and incorporation of immigrants in Europe. I focus on the political behaviors and attitudes of immigrants and minorities in developed democracies, situating my work at the intersection of comparative political behavior, political psychology, and identity politics.

My dissertation explores how intergroup relations between natives and immigrants shape immigrants’ political integration in the context of anti-immigrant sentiment in Belgium and Germany. Grounded in social identity and contact theories, it examines how everyday positive and negative interactions with natives influence immigrants’ political trust, sense of belonging, and political efficacy.

Before joining UIUC, I worked as a research associate at the East Asia Institute and completed a traineeship at the European Parliamentary Research Service. I hold an M.A. in Political Science and a B.A. in French Literature and International Studies, both from Korea University.