Then, she naturally selected a cognitive science collaboration program and started to study psychology that conducts research on the human “mind”, which understands and feels art from a brain science perspective. She has been involved in research about people's “minds” through interdisciplinary convergence while maintaining her interest in art. "When I first came to Korea University in 2008 as a professor, the 3D TV commercialization issue was emerging. Since then, there have been ceaseless attempts to introduce visual perception research across industries. There have been constant needs for psychological studies from empirical research relating to computer design and image perception to VR technology. In recent years, the desire to use psychology and brain science research achievements as a motive even in the field of arts and creative works is sharply on the rise. I think it is the strong impact of interactive art*, which seeks to encode the experiences of people responding differently over time and produce new outcomes. Because of this, many media artists are offering collaborations. As a representative example, I participated in the opening exhibition of the D Museum in Hannam-dong. I will never forget the pleasure I felt while participating in the exhibition planning, studying the experience of the action of light."

Professor Kim is interested in diverse research topics. She also conducted emotion and visual perception studies of schizophrenia patients with her students. Considering that there has been extensive study on the emotional and social aspects of the patients, but studies on their perceptual experiences such as their senses are extremely rare, resulting in a poor understanding of the disease. Therefore, she is making continued efforts to understand the symptoms of the patients and gain knowledge that can be used in clinical practice by understanding the perception of senses as the most basic process of cognition.

"I am also involved in various research projects. In particular, I am leading interdisciplinary efforts to provide accurate information to the public, taking part in a forum related to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. I said earlier that I would like to lead a variety of convergence studies centered on the Department of Psychology, but this does not mean only research in the ivory tower. Firstly, I would like to narrow the gap between society and academics regarding the issues emerging in our fast-changing society such as AI, big data, aging, and user experience, and ultimately present solutions to these issues.”

Professor Kim added she would continue to do research helpful to our future society by conducting interdisciplinary convergence research of various kinds. Still “people” are at the center of the future of psychology that seeks to understand and help people.

* Interactive art is a branch of media art. It achieves interactive communication between the work and the audience using a two-way interface.