Khwan Kim is an Assistant Professor of Organisations & Innovation at UCL School of Management. He studies how novelty and creativity are produced, recognized, and sustained—especially when markets and market actors undergo structural change or disruption. Much of his work focuses on creative industries (music, films, publishing, contemporary art, Broadway musicals, etc.), where technological and institutional shifts continually redefine what counts as “new.” He also studies social networks more broadly, including how friendships form from scratch.

His research is interdisciplinary in both theory and method. Theoretically, he draws on organization theory, strategic management, economic sociology, and the sociology of culture to link micro-level behavioral processes to market-level mechanisms. Empirically, he combines computational approaches—using embedding models and other deep-learning techniques at scale—with econometric designs that leverage longitudinal and quasi-experimental variation.

He also works closely with industry partners, including Deezer (France’s largest music-streaming platform) and Timeleft (a global social-dining platform focused on facilitating new friendships), to develop research that is both theoretically grounded and empirically rich.

His work has appeared in leading journals including PNAS and American Sociological Review, and is forthcoming in Academy of Management Journal.

He holds a PhD in Management from INSEAD and an MA in Sociology from the University of Chicago.

He is currently seeking research assistants, particularly candidates comfortable with data-intensive workflows (Python/R) and rigorous econometric analysis (Stata). Interested applicants are welcome to send a CV.