Meet the Team

Dr. Koo joined CSUSM in 2025. She received her Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of California, Irvine in 2023, and subsequently worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of British Columbia before joining CSUSM.

Dr. Koo has two main research programs:

First, her work investigates how experiences and beliefs about socioeconomic mobility shape everyday thoughts and behaviors, including attitudes toward work and leisure, views on the rich and poor, inequality, morality, and social class.

Second, she is examining a novel psychological construct she and her colleagues call leisure guilt. She explores its antecedents, consequences, and the cultural and social factors that influence why and how people feel guilty about taking leisure time instead of being productive.