Irene Ahn
Assistant Professor
Justice, Law & Criminology
Degrees
Ph.D. University of California, San Diego, Sociology
M.A. Georgetown University, Government
B.A. Peking University, International Relations
Bio
Dr. Irene Hyangseon Ahn is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Justice, Law, & Criminology at American University. She received her Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego in 2024, and was formerly a Predoctoral Fellow at Academia Sinica from 2022 to 2023. Her research focuses on the experiences of marginalized individuals and groups affected by state violence. She is particularly interested in Law and Society, Legal Mobilizations, Global Justice, and Transitional Justice in East Asia and beyond. Trained in comparative-historical and ethnographic methods, she seeks to understand how communities aggrieved by state violence engage with state authorities to address past injustices through a sociological lens.