Kimberly Kay Hoang is a Professor in the Department of Sociology and the College.
As vice provost for diversity and inclusion and strategic initiatives, Kimberly leads the University's efforts to foster a diverse and inclusive climate that promotes rigorous inquiry and strengthens the University's distinctive intellectual environment. She works with leaders, faculty, staff, and students across the University to build on the University's commitment to diversity of thought, backgrounds, and perspectives. In this role, she also oversees centers and institutes within the Office of the Provost.
Kimberly's research examines deal-making in frontier and emerging economies, with a focus on how global elites use offshore networks of lawyers, accountants, and financial intermediaries to move wealth across borders. Her first book, Dealing in Desire: Asian Ascendancy, Western Decline, and the Hidden Currencies of Global Sex Work (University of California Press, 2015), explores the intersections of high finance, gender, and intimacy in Vietnam's informal economy. Her second book, Spiderweb Capitalism: How Global Elites Exploit Frontier Markets (Princeton University Press, 2022), uncovers the mechanics of illicit wealth movement through shell corporations and offshore financial systems. Both books have received numerous awards from the American Sociological Association, and Spiderweb Capitalism was further recognized with an award from the Association of American Publishers. Kimberly is a recipient of the 2020 Lewis A. Coser Award for Theoretical Agenda Setting. She is also the recipient of the 2018 Llewellyn John and Harriet Manchester Quantrell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.
Kimberly earned her Ph.D. from the University of California-Berkeley, her master’s from Stanford University, and her B.A. from the University of California-Santa Barbara.
