Jina Kang is a professor in the Technology Management, Economics, and Policy (TEMEP) graduate program, with joint appointments in the undergraduate interdisciplinary program of Management of Technology (MOT) and the School of Liberal Arts at Seoul National University (SNU).

Research

Jina’s research centers on strategy and technology & innovation management in areas that span energy to pharmaceutical industries as well as other high-tech industries. She has worked with datasets from the United States, as well as the EU and South Korea. Of particular interest to her are issues relating to external technology sourcing, entry conditions of new start-ups and incumbent companies, partner selections in R&D collaborations and the role technology plays in developing and implementing strategy including alliance, M&A and corporate venturing. Her research resulted in over 20 international and 5 domestic refereed academic articles published in journals such as R&D Management, Journal of Product Innovation Management, International Business Review, Creativity and Innovation Management, Industry and Innovation, Technology Analysis and Strategic Management, Journal of Knowledge Management, Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Asian Journal of Technology Innovation, and the Asian Pacific Journal of Management. Her work has amongst others, been presented at the Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, Asia Academy of Management Conference, Asia Pacific Innovation Conference, Global Marketing Conference, EuroMOT, International Association for Management of Technology, and the International Schumpeter Society Conference.

Award & Recognition

A paper published in Creativity and Innovation Management (CIM), which is published in the Netherlands, was named the CIM 2013 Tudor Rickards and Susan Moger Best Paper Award runner-up paper and was featured prominently by THNK, a renowned creativity think tank sponsored by the Dutch government. Two other papers were selected as Most Read Article of all times by the Asia Journal of Technology Innovation (AJTI). Her other paper also won best paper awards at the Journal of Technology Innovation and conferences held by the Korean Scholars of Marketing Science (KSMS) and IAMOT (International Association of Management of Technology) which is a premier technology management society based in EU.

Graduates and Mentoring

Jina has produced numerous doctorates and masters, two of whom are from Europe. She has various experience working with EU academics, professors, and students on projects, papers, and dissertations which resulted in a best paper runner-up as well as a keynote speech in plenary sessions in EU conferences such as EuroMOT.

Plenary & Invited Lectures

Jina was invited to deliver a talk on strategic R&D collaboration between universities and industry at the plenary session of the 2008 EuroMOT meeting hosted by the International Associations for Management of Technology (IAMOT). She has been a frequent speaker on technology strategy to corporate executives through the Advanced Industrial Strategy Program hosted by SNU. Additionally, she delivered lectures on strategy and innovation to diplomats to Korea during their training programs at SNU and to field managers and researchers across diverse fields including science, engineering and public administration.

Teaching

Jina currently teaches business strategy and technology strategy in the TEMEP graduate program and the MOT undergraduate program at SNU, where her teaching is distinguished from other classes for its discussion-oriented style. Professor Kang aims to not just equip students with fundamental research capabilities but to prepare the future generation of managerial leadership with skills in positioning a firm for competitive advantage. Under her guidance, 3 PhDs and 17 Masters successfully graduated from SNU. Professor Kang’s students being awarded the best student paper awards at international conferences hosted by the IAMOT and Asia Association of Learning, Innovation, and Co-evolution Studies as well as a prize at an international business case competition hosted by KSMS, further shows the high quality and dedication of her research team.

Professional Service

Jina repeatedly takes on important leadership roles in many leading academic associations, government commissions and research institutes, and the private sector. She has served on the editorial board of the Journal of Korean Operations Research and Management Science Society for the past eight years. She also has served on the editorial board for the Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science, as executive director of the Korea Society of Strategic Management, on the board of directors of the Korea Society for Innovation Management and Economics and as editorial board member of Review of Cultural Economics. She won a presidential citation from the Korean president for her contribution to the Presidential Committee on Green Growth. She also served The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, The Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology, The Ministry of Knowledge Economy, Korea Electric Power Corporation, Korea Airports Corporation, National Research Foundation and National Institute of Biological Resources by advising on projects initiated by these organizations. She contributed articles to the Maeil Business Newspaper, one of two major economic daily newspapers in South Korea, as an op-ed contributor. She is also contributing to the development of SNU by taking on a number of significant roles including serving as the chief of public relations for the Global Education Center for Engineers at SNU.

Education & Experience

Prior to joining SNU in 2005, Jina was on the business school faculty at California State University, Fullerton, where she taught core strategy courses in undergraduate and MBA programs. Jina received her Ph.D. in Strategy and Technology Management from the Anderson School of UCLA, an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and an undergraduate degree in Management Science from KAIST. Prior to pursuing her MBA and doctorate, she worked as an account executive at Cheil Communications, Inc., Samsung’s advertising firm, leading creative teams and managing client relationships.