Members

Dr. Chang-Dae Ham (Ph.D., University of Missouri) is a Professor at the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has focused on how consumers proactively assess and engage in the persuasion process, primarily applying persuasion knowledge, as a main lens of his research, to both commercial and non-commercial advertising contexts. He has been particularly interested in how consumers accept, and steel themselves against, technology-driven persuasion, such as behavioral tracking and algorithmic advertising in digital. Prior to joining UIUC, he worked in the advertising industry for ten years, earned M.S. at the University of Florida and Ph.D. at the University of Missouri. 

Dr. Sang-Hwa Oh (Ph.D., University of South Carolina) is an Associate Professor at the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has explored how social media and emerging communication technologies can promote health promotion and social change in the context of public health and risk issues. Her recent work focuses on addressing public health crises through research in these areas: 1) investigating how media influences public understanding and behaviors; 2) countering misinformation in emergencies via media interventions; 3) advancing media literacy to tackle health and information inequity; and 4) enhancing transparent risk management in organizations using emerging communication technologies. Before joining academia, Dr. Oh had worked at Samsung iMarketKorea for five years as a strategic planning and communication manager.

Seo-Jeong Heo (M.A., University of Texas at Austin) is a Ph.D. candidate in the Institute of Communications Research at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She earned her B.A. and M.A. in Communication from Yonsei University (South Korea) and an additional M.A. in Advertising from the University of Texas at Austin.

Her research focuses on human–AI interaction in advertising and marketing contexts, with particular emphasis on how AI-driven advertising shapes consumer perception, attitudes, and underlying psychological mechanisms. Specifically, her work examines (1) virtual influencers as persuasive agents, (2) large language model (LLM) interfaces as persuasive environments, and (3) social robots as embodied communicators. Across these domains, she aims to advance theory on AI-mediated persuasion by integrating insights from social and cognitive psychology.

Jiyeon (M.A., Ewha Womans University) is a Ph.D. student at the Institute of Communications Research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She received her M.A. and B.A. in Communication and Media from the Ewha Womans University. Jiyeon studies media psychology and technology-mediated communication, especially focusing on AI-mediated communication. Her research explores cognitive frameworks to understand perceptions that influence information processing and online behaviors. 

James (M.S., University of Illinois Urbana Champaign) is a Ph.D. student in the Institute of Communications Research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He received his M.S. in Advertising and B.A. in Communication from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His interdisciplinary research focuses on persuasive messages in the context of emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Metaverse, and Web 3.0. He wants to examine the difference in consumer behavior in a more immersive and intelligent virtual environment. 

Floria Yujin Lee (M.S., University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) is a Ph.D. student in the Institute of Communications Research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She earned a B.S. and M.S. degree at the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research interests include artificial intelligence-driven virtual influencers’ role in persuasion, particularly on social media platforms. She is also interested in multiculturalism, virtual reality, and new technology.

Seoyoung(Selene) Kim (M.A., Korea University) is a Ph.D. student in the Institute of Communications Research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She earned an M.A. in Media & Communication from Korea University and dual degrees in International Studies (B.A.) and Business Administration (B.B.A.) from the Catholic University of Korea. Prior to joining ICR, Selene worked at CJ ENM as a strategist in music IP marketing and artist business. Her research interests lie at the intersection of consumer behavior and human–AI interaction. She examines how people interact with AI and how it shapes their decision-making, particularly in the music entertainment industry and media contexts.

Bo Ram is a master’s student in advertising at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champain. She received a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Hanyang University and a master’s degree in business analytics from Korea University Business School. Her research interest lies in measuring the creativity of AI-assisted advertising campaigns. She is also focusing on advertising campaigns targeting kids, teens, and elderly people. Prior to coming to the United States, she worked as a copywriter in the advertising industry in South Korea and China.

Dr. Un Chae Chung (Ph.D., University of Illinois Urbana Champaign) is an Assistant Professor at the College of Arts and Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. His teaching role includes advertising, media planning, and consumer insight areas. His main area of research relates to effects of advertising that involves new technology. Currently, online behavioral advertising and privacy issues are his main theme. Overall, he strives to maintain a critical perspective on emerging technologies in advertising, even though he always finds them fascinating.

Dr. Yoon (Seo Yoon) Lee (Ph.D., University of Illinois Urbana Champaign) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Strategic Communication at the Bob Schieffer College of Communication, Texas Christian University. She received her Ph.D. in Media and Communications from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Seo Yoon’s research interests lie in the area of new emerging media technologies, uncivil online behaviors, and health/crisis communication. Her research focuses on 1) revealing the factors that motivate individuals to engage in toxic online communication 2) examining the nuanced impacts of emerging media technologies on strategic communication, particularly in addressing health and environmental concerns. 

Dr. Jane Yeahin Pyo (Ph.D., University of Illinois Urbana Champaign) is a Postdoctoral Researcher of Digital Politics, Asian American Race, and News and Democracy at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Her current research examines new modes of digital politics that seek to challenge the repressive news media environment. Her book project, Journalist+Trash: Journalist harassment as digital politics in South Korea, explores how the marginalized political left adopts and operationalizes online harassment of journalists as their way to criticize and challenge the elitist, conservative, and authoritative news media system. Her next project weaves the perspective of race, specifically focusing on Asian American communities. She examines the Asian American communities’ online resistance with the #StopAsianHate movement. She also explores how global digital platforms (e.g., KakaoTalk, WeChat) create an intimate yet intimidating environment for diasporic Asians in their encounter with misinformation.

Dr. WooJin Kim (Ph.D., University of Illinois Urbana Champaign) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Advertising at the University of Colorado Boulder. He received his doctoral degree in advertising in May 2024, under the guidance of Dr. Ham. WooJin has been a member of the CTRL² Lab since 2019. His research focuses on how AI technologies influence consumer perceptions and behaviors in advertising. Specifically, his work explores AI chatbot advertising, AI influencer marketing, and the use of AI for social good.

Dongchan Lee (M.S., University of Illinois Urbana Champaign) is a Ph.D. student in Marketing, at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He received an M.S. in Advertising from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a B.S. in Hotel Management from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. His research interests encompass persuasion, emerging technologies, and consumer metacognition. Currently, his work focuses on the impact of artificial intelligence on advertising persuasiveness and its influence on consumer behavior. He aims to understand consumer behavior within his surrounding context and provide valuable insights as a consumer psychologist and marketing scholar.