2025 Postdoctoral Fellows

Youbin Kang is a sociologist whose research examines the intersection of labor relations, urban infrastructure, and political economy. They received their PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where their dissertation traced the historical evolution of public transportation funding and labor relations in New York City and Seoul from the mid-1970s through 2022. This research demonstrates how infrastructure—often seen as neutral or technocratic—functions as a key site of political struggle. Drawing on interdisciplinary methods and global perspectives, Kang's work offers insights into pressing governance challenges related to labor precarity, privatization, and the provision of public goods.

I am thrilled to engage with scholars, policymakers, and students about important questions facing communities in New York City.

At the Moynihan Center, Kang will continue their research on urban infrastructure governance while developing courses including "Civic Life and Urban Politics in New York" and "Urban Infrastructure and the Commons," examining how infrastructure shapes access, governance, and economic power in urban settings. Their teaching emphasizes active learning and case studies that bridge theory with lived experience, helping students connect sociological inquiry with pressing public issues. Beyond academia, Kang actively engages with broader audiences through publications in outlets like Jacobin Magazine and N+1 Magazine, demonstrating their commitment to making research accessible and relevant to public discourse. Born in South Korea and raised in New Delhi and Cairo, Kang brings a global perspective informed by their experiences across diverse urban environments.

Anne Mishkind is a political theorist whose research examines schools as central sites of civic subject formation and political contestation. She will receive her PhD in Political Science from Yale University in May 2025. Her dissertation, "Genealogies of Autonomy: Schooling and the Politics of Civic Subject Formation," investigates U.S. education discourse as a window into broader debates about liberalism, political ideology, and American values. Bringing together political theory, education policy, and qualitative research, her work illuminates how educational institutions both reflect and shape our understanding of democratic citizenship.

At a time when educational institutions are under attack, we have an important obligation to affirm the role of the university in fostering open, challenging conversations that bring together multiple perspectives.

At the Moynihan Center, Mishkind will advance her research on education and democracy while developing courses including "Education and the Culture Wars" and "Citizenship and Expertise," which investigate fundamental questions about what knowledge is required for democratic participation and how educational institutions mediate political controversies. Her teaching invites students to examine their own educational experiences as sites of political formation while developing frameworks for understanding contemporary debates about schooling and citizenship. Mishkind brings extensive teaching experience, including roles as Visiting Professor at Deep Springs College, a Prize Teaching Fellow at Yale, and an instructor in Yale's Citizens, Thinkers, Writers program. She also has a practical background in education policy research, having worked at organizations including the American Institutes for Research.