Hwansoo Kim, a professor of religious studies in Yale's Faculty of Arts and Sciences, has been appointed the next head of Morse College, Yale College Dean Pericles Lewis announced in a message to the community today.
He will succeed Catherine Panter-Brick, the Bruce A. and Davi-Ellen Chabner Professor of Anthropology, Health, and Global Affairs, who has been the head of Morse since 2015.
College heads serve as the chief administrative officer and presiding faculty member within the residential colleges, and help nurture the social, cultural, and educational life there, a role that has become a cherished Yale tradition.
Kim joined the Yale faculty in 2018 after nearly a decade at Duke University, where he served for nine years as Faculty-in-Residence in a residential quad of approximately 430 students.
A scholar of Korean Buddhism and East Asian religious history, his research reinterprets the history of modern Korean Buddhism through a transnational and interdisciplinary lens. His work challenges conventional national narratives by illuminating how Korean Buddhism was shaped through dynamic interactions with Japanese, Chinese, and global religious networks.
He will begin a five-year term at Morse College on July 1.
"It is truly an honor to serve the students of Morse College and to continue fostering a community where they feel supported, connected, and at home," Kim said.
Hwansoo Kim's intellectual journey has been shaped by formative personal experiences, Lewis wrote. Born and raised in South Korea, he entered a Buddhist monastery at the age of 16. During his early college years, he served as a Buddhist chaplain in the South Korean military, an experience that deepened his engagement with matters of leadership and community. His subsequent involvement in reform movements within Korean Buddhism, intertwined with South Korea's broader democratic movement, led him to reflect more deeply on the relationship between religion, politics, and power, Lewis said.
This inquiry took him to Japan and Germany for further study, and eventually to the United States for master's and doctoral training at Harvard University.
His award-winning books - "Empire of the Dharma: Korean and Japanese Buddhism, 1877-1912" and "The Korean Buddhist Empire: A Transnational History, 1910-1945" - have garnered international recognition, including honors from the Association for Asian Studies and a book award from the Ministry of Education of South Korea.
Kim has held numerous leadership roles at Yale, including serving as chair of the Council on East Asian Studies, where he has worked to strengthen Korean Studies while deepening Yale's global academic networks, Lewis wrote.
"His service spans departmental, university-wide, and international contexts, reflecting a sustained commitment to collaborative governance, student support, and cross-disciplinary scholarship," Lewis wrote. "He has also helped students launch an initiative called Baram, which supports young North Korean defectors living in the United States through tutoring and mentorship on educational and career pathways."
Attending student theater performances and music recitals is another way he enjoys staying connected to students' creative work, Lewis added. Outside his academic life, he is an avid tennis player (a pursuit he took up during the COVID-19 pandemic).
Joining Kim as associate head is his wife, Rev. Sumi Loundon Kim, who serves as the Buddhist chaplain through the Yale Chaplain's Office. Educated at Williams College and Harvard Divinity School, Rev. Kim is the author of several books, including "Blue Jean Buddha," "The Buddha's Apprentices, Sitting Together," and "Goodnight Love." Their daughter, Priya, is a Yale sophomore majoring in cognitive science. Their son, Sonjae, who loves music, writing, and environmentalism, will begin Yale as a first-year student this fall.
In announcing Hwansoo Kim's appointment, Dean Lewis expressed gratitude to Catherine Panter-Brick, the outgoing head of Morse College, and Mark Eggerman, the associate head. "Their stewardship of the college has strengthened its sense of belonging, intellectual engagement, and care for students, and I thank them warmly for their dedication," Lewis wrote.
Lewis also thanked the members of the search advisory committee: Paul Van Tassel, a professor of chemical & environmental engineering at the Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science, who chaired the committee; Matthew Croasmun, a senior lecturer in Divinity and Humanities and director of the Life Worth Living program, an initiative of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture; Rebecca Toseland, a senior Lecturer in economics and director of research support at the Tobin Center for Economic Policy; Gena Lai, senior director of gift investment and administration in the Office of Development; Joshua Li '26; Bella Cordoba '27; Rohil Mohan '28; and Aliris Fontánez '29.
