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Where Technology Meets Humanity: The Interdisciplinary Journey of Youyung Hyun

2025/07/22

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Through her research and academic journey, Youyung Hyun has discovered a powerful truth: real happiness comes from seeing yourself grow and chasing the person you’re meant to become."

In today’s world, it’s easy to be swept away by the narratives of success portrayed by the media or defined by others. This often makes it difficult to reflect inwardly and stay confident in your own desires. She encourages her students not to fear believing in themselves, but instead to be honest about what they truly want. She believes that only by doing so can one fully commit to life and find meaning.

Youyung, Assistant Professor of Technology and Operations Management, first started conducting research on the management of information systems, focusing on organizational agility and the use of big data analytics, while she was in graduate school. At that time, she was interested in why a majority of companies fail to capitalize on data to quickly respond to fast-changing competitive markets. To find answers to this dilemma, she has focused on corporate culture and individual behavior and capabilities within organizations. In addition, she also conducted how humans meaningfully engage with AI-enabled robots in hospitality contexts, by focusing on social and technological aspects of IT artifact. Above all, Youyung’s work is interdisciplinary in nature.

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She has recently expanded her research to explore the role of generative AI (GenAI), investigating how it is integrated into and leveraged for enhancing human creativity and productivity. In collaboration with research teams and industry partners, she broadly examines what types of GenAI are used in various contexts (particularly content industry and healthcare industry), and how they transform human behavior and workflows. While some view this emerging phenomenon with skepticism, she believes GenAI is poised to bring about a paradigm shift in how people create, interact, and perform tasks. She is deeply motivated by this transformation and is excited to see how it redefines the roles of professionals—such as content creators and healthcare providers—with far-reaching implications for society as a whole.

“I am so inspired by the people I work with at Hitotsubashi ICS. Because my research spans multiple disciplines, I receive incredibly constructive feedback and advice from esteemed faculty members across different fields, which is an experience I believe is unique to Hitotsubashi ICS,” Youyung said.

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Youyung came to Hitotsubashi University in 2018 to pursue her PhD in Management and Commerce at the School of Business Administration. After completing her postdoctoral training at Hitotsubashi University (Kunitachi campus) and teaching at Hosei University for about three years, she returned to Hitotsubashi to assume her current role as Assistant Professor of Technology and Operations Management. She currently teaches MBA courses, including Technology and Operations Management and Data Science for Management.

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“I am most passionate about research and enjoy the process of integrating different elements of my research such as new findings, personal perspectives, current IT trends into my teaching. I also value interacting with students in and out of the classrooms and I always try to make myself approachable for them,” Youyung said.

 

Outside of her academic work, she enjoys cooking, watching Netflix, snowboarding, and exercising. “This year, I even went snowboarding with my students. It was a lot of fun. I will never forget it!” Youyung recalled. Though her passion lies in research and teaching, she is eager to make a positive impact on her students – empowering them, building their confidence, and encouraging them to pursue their passion.