Tinbergen Institute Student Research Feature: Kyungmin Kim
Jumbo became the first Dutch supermarket to end nationwide fresh-meat promotions without a government mandate. In her thesis, Business Data Science Research Master alumna Kyungmin Kim, studied its effect on meat purchases and its contribution to the protein transition.
Kyungmin's findings suggest that hard, unilateral retail measures can reduce meat purchases in ways that softer interventions may not. However, buying less meat does not automatically mean that consumers switch to plant-based alternatives. The research therefore highlights both the potential and the limits of individual retailers in supporting a transition towards more sustainable diets without wider industry or policy coordination.
"Career-wise, I have always been drawn to quantitative marketing because marketing affects everyone and I believe quantitative marketing has the power to impact people’s daily lives and make society a better place.
During my research master's in business data science at Tinbergen Institute, I learned econometrical modeling, coding skills and marketing research skills and theory which are essential for career as a researcher in marketing.
Personally, I became more independent and confident in pursuing my interests. After all the hard work during my research master's, I was able to pursue a PhD project on a research topic that genuinely interests me, under the supervisors of excellent researchers. Overall, I believe that although it included very hard work for two years, I have grown so much and got very close to becoming someone I wanted to be thanks to Business Data Science."
Kyungmin recently completed the Research Master’s program in Business Data Science at Tinbergen Institute and has now started a PhD at Amsterdam Business School.
Inspired by Kyungmin’s research? Visit our website to learn more about the programs, admission requirements and how to apply: Graduate Programs.
The applications for Tinbergen Institute’s Research Master’s programs in Economics and Business Data Science open on October 1, 2026. First deadline on December 1, 2026 (deadline for non-EEA students; and/or all students who are interested in applying for either the University of Amsterdam scholarships or Tinbergen Institute scholarships).
Tinbergen Institute is the graduate school and research institute in economics and business, jointly operated by the schools of economics of Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU).