Hyojung Sun
Lecturer in the Business of Creative and Cultural Industries

Profile

Biography

Hyojung Sun is a Lecturer in the Business of Creative and Cultural Industries. She holds a Ph.D. in Science and Technology Studies (STS) from the University of Edinburgh. She is the author of the book Digital Revolution Tamed: The Case of the Recording Industry” and has conducted a range of  UK government commissioned high-profile projects such as Music Creators’ Earnings in the Digital Era and Music 2025 – the Music Data Dilemma. 

Hyojung has a rich background crossing industry and academia. During her professional career in the IT industry, she was impressed by the potential that digital technology presented. It prompted her to go back to education to study IT policy for her MA at the Graduate School of Public Administration, Seoul National University. She applied her knowledge in practice during her time at the National Assembly Research Services in Korea, as a legislative researcher, helping policy makers and politicians make sound decisions in the field of media, culture and tele-communications. Prior to joining the University of York, she worked as a research associate in the Creative Industries at Ulster University, a position commissioned by AHRC-funded NESTA’s Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) programme.

Academic

Hyojung’s academic expertise crosses law, social science, cultural studies and popular music studies. Her main academic interests involve digital and disruptive technology, the music industry, and creative industries more widely. With her academic background in Science and Technology Studies (STS), she explores contemporary issues in the creative industries in ways technological developments, legal legislations, and social conditions interweave each other.

This approach has made a significant contribution to the evidence base and policy decision making, gaining industry-wide support, and is acting as a catalyst bringing industry, academia, and Government together to tackle the issues affecting the music business. This work culminated in the recent project Music Creators’ Earnings in the Digital Era, which garnered international media coverage and informed the parliamentary debate in the UK.

Career

Departmental roles

University roles