Kyung Yun Choi, PhD, is an interdisciplinary researcher and artist specializing in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), digital fabrication, physical computing, wearables and haptics. ​She is a tenure-track assistant professor in the Design Engineering division of the Department of Mechanical & System Design Engineering at Hongik University in Seoul, Korea. Her expertise spans designing mechanical mechanisms, building hardware prototypes, and conducting user validation to create impactful, user-centered technologies. 

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Yun’s research focuses on playful and interactive interfaces that foster human's body perceptions to foster remote social engagement, enhancing both social presence and self-connection. Committed to accessibility and inclusivity, she is particularly interested in developing accessible prototyping tools that combine traditional crafts with digital fabrication techniques, empowering novices such as children and older adults to explore creative engineering. She envisions advancing technologies in digital health, smart mobility, and culture technology through intuitive, user-centric systems that seamlessly integrate into everyday life.

Before her graduate study in U.S., Yun served as the chief engineer of the structural and thermal control systems for two Cube satellites, developed in collaboration with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). She also contributed to developing a myoelectric prosthetic hand as part of the Bretl Research Group and the start-up PSYONIC, where she served as lead mechanical engineer. She earned her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Yonsei University, South Korea (2013), her M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2015), and her M.S. and Ph.D. in Media Arts and Sciences from the Tangible Media Group at the MIT Media Lab (2017, 2024).

Yun has published extensively in HCI journal and conferences and has received numerous awards, including the Innovation by Design Award from Fast Company, the Korean Government Scholarship for Study Overseas (2014), the Kwanjeong Scholarship for her graduate studies (2017, 2019), and the 2022 LEGO Papert Fellowship. Her research projects have been featured in prominent media outlets, including IEEE Spectrum and MIT News.

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