On the 2025-2026 Academic Job Market!
Research Disciplines: HCI; Communication; Psychology; Cognitive Science
Research Interests: Human-Agent Interaction; AI; Robots; Anthropomorphism;
AI-mediated Communication; Trust; Morality; Mental Representation
[ h-index: 8 ] [ i10-index: 7 ]
ABOUT ME
Hello! I am Taenyun Kim (pronounced like "Tanyon") from Korea. I am a PhD student in the Information and Media Program with a Cognitive Science Specialization at Michigan State University. Before coming to MSU, I studied Psychology (BA), Informatics (BS), and Human-AI Interaction (MS) at Sungkyunkwan University.
I consider myself a Robopsychologist, like Dr. Susan Calvin in <I, Robot> by Isaac Asimov, meaning that I study the psychology of humans regarding artificial intelligence (AI) and robots (or vice versa!). I am interested in human-agent interaction (HAI). Here, agents mean AI and robots. To me, AI and robots are newly emerging agents that we humans haven't encountered yet in our millions of years of evolutionary path, and just much the same as other agents like humans, dogs, god(s), or even Neanderthals.
My specific research topics include folk theories of AI and robots, trust repair, and the morality of AI. However, my research is not only limited to AI and robots. I am interested in how technologies influence and extend our minds and bodies in general.
I am open to collaboration. Feel free to contact me!
RESEARCH INTEREST
Psychology in the Era of Information Technology
(e.g., social media, metaverse, artificial intelligence, and robots)
Morality and Trust in Machines
(e.g., robots as trustworthy and moralistic agents)
EDUCATION
PhD in Information and Media
Michigan State University, MI, United States
Sep. 2022 – Current
MS in Interaction Science (Human-AI Interaction Major),
Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea
Sep. 2019 – Aug. 2021
BA in Psychology & BS in Interdisciplinary Informatics,
Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea
Mar. 2012 – Aug. 2019
