Kogod School of Business Hires Two Accomplished AI Scholars

Professor Henry Heo and Sun Joo Kim join the Department of Information Technology and Analytics this fall, bringing years of research into emerging tech—and a hunger to weigh in on key policy decisions in DC.

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Around the world, businesses are making record investments in artificial intelligence tools as they simultaneously grapple with the opportunities and disruptions posed by AI.

On the AU campus in Washington, the Kogod School of Business is investing in its faculty, as part of a larger push to prepare the next generation of business leaders for a business landscape where AI fluency will be essential.
 
This fall semester, the school welcomes two new faculty members to its growing Department of Information Technology and Analytics: Sun Joo Kim and Henry Heo, both accomplished scholars at the intersection of business and AI.

Kim and Heo join Kogod at a time when the school has embarked on an ambitious transformation: adding AI-focused courses, infusing the technology into existing curricula, and hiring new faculty members—including Heo and Kim—with deep experience in AI and machine learning.

This duo of new professors will bolster a faculty in the IT and analytics program that prepares students for careers in fields that will increasingly be in high demand in the coming years—from IT consulting to technology management, statistics, and operations management. AI is now a part of all core business verticals.

Sun Joo Kim


Sun Joo Kim will serve as a professor in the IT and Analytics Department after earning his PhD in Management Information Systems at Purdue University earlier this year.

While this may be your first introduction to Kim himself, it’s quite possible you’ve heard about his work.

During his doctoral program in Indiana, Kim developed a machine learning application that aims to predict how a firm’s performance might be impacted by its CEO. A paper on the concept, “Revisiting the CEO Effect Through a Machine Learning Lens,” appeared in the Journal of Management Science in 2023.

Kim has also extensively studied digital commerce platforms, including a deep dive into the impact that home-sharing site Airbnb has on local real estate markets.

For Kim, part of the allure of Kogod was its Washington, DC location—just miles from Capitol Hill and critical policy discussions over the future of AI regulation.

“I thought there would be so many opportunities for me, not just in academia, but also with a lot of interaction with people in DC,” Kim said. “Whether it’s a think tank or government—especially since I’m doing a lot of research in terms of AI policy, and the impact of policy.”

A native of Korea, Kim is the son of a tenured college professor who first studied abroad in the US while completing his undergraduate studies at Korea University, where he majored in business administration.

He’ll be teaching Kogod’s business analytics courses, and hopes to continue his own AI learning journey alongside his students. 

The way I like to teach is, let them talk rather than me talk a lot. That’s been effective for me—to let them actually get their hands dirty.”

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Sun Joo Kim

Kogod School of Business Professor

“Especially with the AI stuff, it’s more of them trying out a lot of new ideas.”

Kim will also be involved with the recently-established Institute for Applied Artificial Intelligence, Kogod, and AU’s cross-campus organization focused on integrating AI into the university’s curriculum—while supplementing core classes with new and innovative courses, workshops, research collaborations, and strategic industry partnerships.

Henry Heo

Henry Heo will also serve in the role of professor in the IT and AI department, the first academic appointment in his career.

Heo plans to focus his teaching on AI skillsets that are rapidly becoming ubiquitous across industries, equipping students with practical experience in Python programming, data analysis, and AI tools like ChatGPT.

Heo’s goal with these tools, he said, is to teach students “how to use them correctly, efficiently, and more ethically.”

Having earned his PhD from Korea’s Kaist College of Business, Heo—like Kim—hopes his new role in our nation’s capital will come with opportunities to lend his expertise to policymakers.

But Heo was drawn, most of all, to Kogod’s push to holistically embed AI learning throughout the school—from the classroom to internal operations and extracurricular learning opportunities, which he views as essential for preparing students to be competitive for highly coveted jobs after graduation.

I was moved by the AU’s passion toward AI.  I’ve heard about many universities that are interested in AI, but I hadn’t seen any other universities that actually make this happen to the same extent. I was very moved by this passion.”

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Henry Heo

Kogod School of Business Professor

While on campus, Heo hopes to continue his research into AI-driven digital nudging, which involves AI-powered design cues that guide users toward better decisions online.

“I’m interested in finding some solutions for solving societal and business problems,” Heo said. “I’m interested in how we can better make use of the technology so that people can use it more efficiently and in a safer way.”