I am an associate professor of economics (with tenure) at KAIST College of Business. My research focuses on strategic behavior of individuals and firms interacting within a network. My papers demonstrate (1) how economic agents can optimize behavior as a function of network structure, (2) how equilibrium outcomes can depend on network properties, (3) how certain network properties emerge from network formation incentives, and (4) how social planners can incorporate information on network properties in their intervention plans. To answer these questions, I build novel theoretical models of networks that integrate techniques from random graph theory, stochastic processes, and statistical learning. I also use experimental methods to test, in a controlled empirical setting, how network formation is influenced by different incentives.

신은철 교수는 KAIST 경영대학 경제학과 부교수(정년보장)로 재직 중이며, 네트워크 이론, 산업조직론, 정치경제학 등 다양한 경제 분야에서 활발히 연구하고 있습니다. 연구에서는 주로 개인과 기업이 네트워크 내에서 상호작용하는 전략적 행동에 초점을 맞추고 있습니다. 특히 경제 주체들이 네트워크 구조를 활용해 최적의 결정을 내리고, 네트워크 특성에 따라 균형 결과가 어떻게 달라지는지를 분석합니다. 또한, 사회 계획자(social planner)가 네트워크 정보를 어떻게 활용하여 경제적 효율성과 사회 후생를 증진시키는 방안을 연구하고 있습니다.

신은철 교수는 랜덤 그래프 이론, 확률 과정, 통계적 학습 등 다양한 방법론을 결합한 새로운 이론적 모델을 개발하여, 네트워크 형성과 그 결과를 설명하고 예측합니다. 또한, 행동/실험 경제학적 방법을 통해 네트워크 형성에 영향을 미치는 다양한 인센티브를 실증적으로 검증하고 있습니다. 궁극적으로는 이러한 연구를 통해 경제 주체들의 전략적 행동을 이해하고, 이를 바탕으로 한 정책적 함의를 제시하고자 합니다.

Education

Ph.D. in the Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, 2016
- Dissertation Chair: Leeat Yariv (Uwe E. Reinhardt Professor of Economics at Princeton University)

B.S. in Mathematics and B.A. in Economics, Yonsei University, 2009
- Graduated with Highest Honors (Summa Cum Laude)
- Ranked 1st in the Department of Mathematics
- Completed Advanced Program in Mathematics

Career

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, South Korea
Associate Professor (with tenure), College of Business, September 2025 - Present

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, South Korea
Associate Professor, College of Business, September 2022 - 2025

California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
Visiting Associate in Economics, August 2022 - August 2023

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, South Korea
Assistant Professor, College of Business, August 2018 - August 2022

Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea
Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, September 2016 - August 2018

Korea Development Institute (KDI), Sejong City, South Korea
Research Fellow, Department of Competition Policy, 2016

Industry Advisory Activities

Fair Trade Commission, High tech companies, KDI, KIEP, and NGOs

Publications (patents, etc.)

Selected Publication List

1. “Optimal Influence Design in Networks,” joint with Daeyoung Jeong, 2024, Journal of Economic Theory Vol 220: 105877.

2. “Repairing a Cracked Mirror: The Heterogeneous Effect of Personalized Digital Nudges Driven by Misperception,” joint with Daegon Cho and Miyeon Jung, 2021, Production and Operations Management Vol 30(8): 2586?2607.

3. “A Model of Pre-Electoral Coalition Formation,” 2019, Games and Economic Behavior Vol 118: 463?485.

4. “Monopoly Pricing and Diffusion of Social Network Goods,” 2017, Games and Economic Behavior Vol 102: 162?178.

Research Areas

Microeconomics, Behavioral & Experimental Economics, Industrial Organization, Social Networks, and Political Economy

미시경제학, 행태 및 실험경제학, 사회연결망, 산업조직론, 정치경제학