Her research interests include organizational culture and behavior; learning and performance in the workplace; and research trends in HRD and related fields. Sunyoung has served as the Chair of the International; Global & Cross Cultural Issues Track in the AHRD Conference in the Americas since 2014. Prior to joining academics, Sunyoung worked in the corporate and non-profit sectors in the area of human resource development and instructional design. Sunyoung has received several research awards including a 2011 Outstanding Paper Award from Leadership and Organization Development Journal and Cutting Edge Awards at the 2011 and 2014 AHRD International Research Conference in the Americas. She received her PhD form the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.