Kim earned her PhD from the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs, where her research focused on the local reception of immigrant populations. She holds a BA in Anthropology from Luther College and a MSc in Migration Studies from the University of Oxford.

Her research interests emerged through years working in the nonprofit and educational sectors, supporting opportunities for immigrant youth in rural Minnesota as well as Chicago. Through this professional experience she discovered a passion for working alongside community leaders in order to understand and address structural disadvantages that immigrants and refugees face in the United States. 

Kim has worked in collaboration with the Minneapolis Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, the University of Minnesota Law School's James H. Binger Center for New Americans, and the UMN Sociology Department. Her work has been supported by the Russell Sage Foundation, the University of Minnesota Human Rights Center, and the University of Minnesota Gender Policy Report. In her free time, Kim enjoys running and exploring the many parks and trails in Minnesota.