Hi! I am an Assistant Professor of AI and Design at the School of Art + Art History, University of Florida. I received my Ph.D. in Industrial Design from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), where I also earned my M.S. and B.S. in the same field.
I am a design-based Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) researcher exploring how emerging technologies, particularly AI, shape human experience. My work examines technology not only as a tool or technical infrastructure, but also as a social entity that can transform our daily lives and broader sociocultural systems.
Rather than focusing solely on theory, I emphasize tangible design outcomes. I create artifacts to speculate on possible futures and to provoke critical conversations around emerging technologies. My aim is to reflect on technology from a designer’s perspective, translate those reflections into artifacts through practical making, and engage interdisciplinary communities in meaningful dialogue about the trajectory of technological development.
Currently, my research investigates how AI agents, embodied or not, can foster new forms of experience and relationship, and how they might participate as members of future societies.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at lnjchonolulu@gmail.com. Thanks!
Education
Ph.D in Industrial Design, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Feb 2025
- Dissertation: Design Speculations for Reimagining Human-Thing Relationships
- Committee: Tek-Jin Nam(Chair), Hwajung Hong, Changhee Lee, Heekyung Jung, Daisy Yoo
M.S in Industrial Design, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 2020
B.S in Industrial Design, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 2018
News
Joined at University of Florida as an Assistant Professor (Aug 16, 2025)
One paper accepted to RO-MAN 2025 (June 9, 2025)
Joined as a visiting scholar at Kyoto University, Japan,
working with Dr. Naomi Yamashita (May 26, 2025)
working with Dr. Naomi Yamashita (May 26, 2025)
Organizing Design Knowledge in AI Workshops at DIS 2025 (May 1, 2025)
Received Best Paper Honorable Mention Award 🏅at CHI 2025 (April 26, 2025)
Travel
Attending DIS 2025 conference, Funchal, Madeira (July 5 - 9, 2025)
Attending CHI 2025 conference, Yokohama, Japan (April 26 - May 1, 2024)
Attending DIS 2024 conference, Copenhagen, Denmark (July 1-5, 2024)
Attending CHI 2024 conference, Honolulu, US (May 11-16, 2024)
Attending Scalable HCI Symposium, Shenzhen, China (Jan 7-11, 2024)
Attending DIS 2023 conference, Pittsburg, US (July 9-14, 2023)