People
Tim Young Chol Choi
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Pronouns: he/him/his
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Doctoral Candidate, Comparative and International Development Education (CIDE)
Young Chol (Tim) is a doctoral candidate in Comparative and International Development Education at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities' Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development.
- M.A. Education Studies (Specialization: Educational Anthropology), Yonsei University, 2019
- B.A. American University, 2017
- Foreign aid
- Official Development Assistance
- Higher Education Institutions
- International Educational Development
- Critical Discourse Analysis
Born in Wembley, England, and raised in South Korea, Tim's cross-cultural background deeply informs his research at the intersection of educational multilateralism, critical policy studies, and decolonial theory. His dissertation employs Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to examine how the African Development Bank (AfDB) constructs the goals and purposes of higher education for development in Africa — investigating how
the Bank's policy language shapes educational priorities, positions African actors, and engages with — or marginalizes— Indigenous knowledge systems and African-centered development priorities. To ground the analysis in lived institutional experience, his research also draws on semi-structured interviews with faculty across African higher education institutions. More broadly, Tim is interested in Official Development Assistance (ODA) and foreign aid, particularly in how donor countries' policy commitments are translated into practice on the ground. South Korea, having made a remarkable transition from aid recipient to donor nation, serves as a compelling example of how development cooperation is constructed and enacted across different national contexts. He is eager to connect with scholars and practitioners working at the intersection of multilateral governance, higher education, and international development.
Awards
- Research Travel Grant, University of Minnesota (2026)
- Frank R. Braun Fellowship in International Development Education, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota (2026)
- East Asia SIG Graduate Student Travel Award, Comparative and International Education Society (2026)
- JCEP Award, Joint Council of Extension Professionals (2025)
- Educational Evaluation and Policy Studies Fellowship, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota (2024)
- Robert and Corrie Beck Fellowship, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota (2023)
Cha, J. I., Kim, M. J., Kim, J. H., Dong, H. K., Lee, I. T., Hong, W. J., Kim, J. H., Jung, D. W., Choi, Y. C. & Kim, J. Y. (2023). Providing the Systematic Support for Education Recovery, Research Paper, KICE.
Lee, S. Y., Chung, M. K., Chang, M. L., Han, E. J., Hong, Y. L., Lee, M. J. & Choi, Y. C. (2019). Raising Future-Oriented Talents through Development of School Educational Cooperation Model in Chungbuk Innovation City, Research Paper, KEDI.
Hwang, E. I., Ryu, B. R., Im, S. H., Baek, S. J., Park, S. C., Lee, J. D., Lee, D. Y. & Choi, Y. C. (2018). Seojeon High School Longitudinal Study 2nd Year, Research Paper, KEDI.
Yoon, J. H., Cho, O. K., Chang, M. L., Choi, Y. K., Hwang, E. I., Jeong, E. H. & Choi, Y. C. (2017). Educational Reform for Overcoming Low Birth Rate – Focus on Practical Strategy of Educational Welfare, Research Paper, KEDI.
Yoon, J. H., Yang, S. K., Park S. J., Cho, O. K., Hwang, E. I., Kim, K. S. & Choi, Y. C. (2017). The Fourth Industrialization and Future Education Action Plan, Research Paper, KEDI.
- Choi, Y. C. (2026, May 12). Re-centering the African Development Bank in Higher Education Policy in Africa. UNESCO UWC Symposium, Cape Town, South Africa. (Accepted for presentation).
- Choi, Y. C. (2026, March 31). Reframing Peace in a Divided Peninsula: A Critical Discourse Analysis of South Korea’s Unification Education Policies (2013-2025). Comparative International Education Society 2026, San Francisco, California.
- Choi, Y. C. (2025, February 28). An Exploration on the Role of Multilateral Foreign Aid in Educational Development of Sub-Saharan Africa through Postcolonial Theory. OLPD Student Research Conference 2025, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
