Shin Jieun
Nationality: Korea
Faculty & Year of Study: School of Computing, Year 5
Undergraduate: Korea University, South Korea
Why Did You Choose To Pursue Your PhD At NUS?
I chose to pursue my PhD at NUS because of the high academic reputation and world-class faculty members. Given the interdisciplinary nature of Information Systems, our program provides structured interaction opportunities to operate at the forefront of IS research with prestigious scholars and intellectual students from diverse backgrounds.
Can you tell us briefly about your research topic?
My research investigates users’ information processing behaviour when evaluating food products via a mobile food literacy app. With the proliferation of mobile apps to promote healthy diets, it is important to understand the influence of information evaluation presented through these mobile apps on users’ decisions. I found the significant influence of information cues on food product choices by taking a novel approach of incorporating the attributes of products using data mining and neural network models to explain the underlying mechanism of this information processing.
Why did you choose to do this research for your PhD?
I chose to do this research for my PhD because after working at a telecom company as a data analyst for several years, I developed a passion for deeply understanding the mechanisms of mobile user behavior. Thus, I decided to go back to school with a goal of applying theoretical information systems research to the field of practical analytics. From the first day in NUS, I have enjoyed the opportunity to get involved in my research because I have gotten to interact with diverse researchers in the field of healthcare, IS, and computer science, which has given me an interdisciplinary perspective.
What challenges have you faced during your stint as a PhD student?
Pursuing a PhD was very challenging for me. I had spent plenty of solitary time working and struggling in my lab till late at night. It was a challenging transition from working in an industry environment with a lot of team-work and standardized procedures to an academic environment where I have to work independently and solve problems on my own. After several years of a struggling time in NUS, I realized that the best resources NUS had offered me are a tight-knit student community and intellectual faculty support. They are genuinely interested to hear about my research, spend their time to read my countless drafts, and even are willing to help me to debug my code, or just spend joyful hours over coffee together.
Can You Tell Us Something Fun About Your PhD Journey In NUS?
As a native Korean who lived my entire life in South Korea, I am lucky enough to have this international experience in Singapore. First, NUS offers a cross-cultural environment and gave me a chance to broaden my perspective about other cultures, religions, races, and so on. Second, I enjoyed a lot of global events and concerts in this beautiful city, Singapore. When things get too stressful, there are always wonderful things to explore and discover outside. Considering the student community, academic environment, and location, I could not be happier to have ended up in NUS as a PhD student.