Dr. Nam's research interests revolve around how civic educators support students in connecting their authentic interests in acquiring civic knowledge and skills essential for developing successful civic agency to promote social bridging and bonding in a politically diverse and polarized context today. She previously worked as a Research Associate for the Democratic Knowledge Project in the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University. She also worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow for Cornell eRulemaking Initiative (CeRI), an online deliberation initiative at Cornell Law School. Dr. Nam received her BA and MA in Social Studies Education from Seoul National University in Korea and taught social studies at a middle school in Seoul, Korea. She earned a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with an emphasis on civic education.