Youna Jung
Associate Teaching Professor
Research interests
- Artificial intelligence
- Ethics
- Human–computer interaction
- Security and privacy
- Software engineering
Education
- PhD in Information and Communication Technology, Ajou University — South Korea
- MS in Information and Communication Technology, Ajou University — South Korea
- BS in Engineering, Ajou University — South Korea
Biography
Youna Jung is an associate teaching professor in the Khoury College of Computer Sciences at Northeastern University, based in Arlington.
Jung joined Khoury College in 2023 to help create a new computing master’s program at Northeastern’s Arlington campus, and to contribute collaborative, impactful, interdisciplinary research. She teaches courses on programming, databases, operating systems, security and privacy, and other topics she considers fundamental to computer systems. She is passionate about mentoring students and helping them grow as problem solvers, and enjoys seeing them progress academically and professionally.
As a researcher, Jung aims to solve critical problems in collaborative and social computing, particularly in emergency and disaster response scenarios where human–AI cooperation is essential. In doing so, she incorporates principles and tools from numerous fields, including cybersecurity and privacy, mobile health care, collaborative and ubiquitous computing, smart cities, the Internet of Things, and social networks. As her career has progressed, Jung has evolved from foundational work around access control and AI systems to applied work aimed at real-world challenges, with the goal of deploying technology responsibly and improving community safety and resilience.
Jung is founder and president of two organizations: the ACM Women chapter in Washington, DC — where she supports and connects local female computing professionals — and the Korean Women Professors Association, which empowers scholars through mentorship, networking, and leadership development. Before joining Khoury College, she taught and researched for ten years at the Virginia Military Institute, where she won the college’s Distinguished Teaching Award and Research Excellence Award.
When she’s not teaching or researching, Jung enjoys regular and lengthy hikes, as well as cheering on her kids from the sideline of their football games and tennis matches.
