UNIST has announced the appointment of internationally acclaimed media artist Ayoung Kim as a Collaborating Professor in the Graduate School of Artificial Intelligence, part of the College of Information and Biotechnology. The three-year appointment begins on December 18 and runs through December 2028.
Professor Kim is widely recognized for her media art practice incorporating virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI), through which she explores how technology shapes human perception and social structures. Her work has drawn sustained international attention for its critical and conceptual engagement with emerging technologies.
UNIST’s appointment of Professor Kim reflects the university’s effort to expand AI research beyond technical computation toward interpretation, meaning, and cognitive processes. Artistic perspectives, UNIST believes, can serve as a catalyst for broadening how AI is applied and understood in both research and education.
During her appointment, Professor Kim will collaborate with UNIST AI researchers on joint projects, contributing artistic insight to technology-focused research and exploring new ways of interpreting AI-generated outcomes. She will also advise on science–art convergence initiatives and deliver special lectures on campus.
“Approaches that connect science and art can deepen both AI research and education,” said UNIST President Chong Rae Park. “We anticipate Professor Kim’s unique experience will bring new perspectives to our research and teaching environments.”
Professor Kim earned her MFA from Chelsea College of Arts in the United Kingdom and holds undergraduate degrees from the London College of Communication and Kookmin University.
Her honors include the Shuji Terayama Award (2023) and the Golden Nica at Ars Electronica, the world’s most prestigious media art award—making her the first Korean artist to receive the distinction. In 2025, she was also selected for the LG Guggenheim Award and received a Ministerial Commendation from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, recognizing her artistic achievement and influence.
