Rebecca Jeong

As a Secretary in Aalto University Doctoral Researchers Association (Aallonhuiput), I am dedicated to advocacy work, ensuring that my role positively influences our community of doctoral researchers. My sustained commitment is to be present: attending most, if not all, meetings because mere presence affects people, as the organizational behaviorist Vanessa Bohns puts it—we have more influence than we think.

In addition to my secretarial duties at Aallonhuiput, I serve as a doctoral student representative on the ARTS Doctoral Programme Committee alongside Talvikki, who deserves special thanks for her pivotal role in encouraging my initial participation. It has been quite a journey, and one that I am grateful for :)

Previously, I have served as an elected Co-chair in Professional Development Committee for the Student Council in the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto during my master’s program. One of my tasks involved creating an outlet to connect students with industry partners, which involved inviting alumni and industry representatives, reaching out to individuals and student groups, and communicating with administrative organs to coordinate on-campus recruitment events. 

My doctoral research at the School of Arts, Design, and Architecture focuses on "Conversational AI: Assets, Aftermaths and Antidotes". This work is supported by the Department of Design, the Finnish National Agency for Education, and the Finnish Cultural Foundation. Previously, most of my graduate projects focused on mobile user interface research, but one of the most memorable was a cross-disciplinary collaboration on accessible design. In this project, we created 3D printed braille signs to promote a bottom-up approach to indoor wayfinding. Currently, two talented researchers from ELEC and SCI and I are collaborating on a project that hopefully will pique the interest of the HCI community. 

Lately, as a ChatGPT user, I have been engrossed in how human-computer interaction detract from and enhance human abilities. Whether to celebrate big or small wins or to discuss any challenges you may face, feel free to reach out; I'm happy to have conversations that help us grow together.