We are excited to welcome not one, but two new entrepreneurship faculty to the Management and Human Resources (MHR) Department: Assistant Professors Dr. Sik Chung and Dr. Jingya You. They both bring a unique perspective and academic background focused on innovation along a shared passion for teaching the next generation.
From the intersection of AI and human collaboration to strategic management in digital startups, Sik and Jingya represent a future of business education and research.
Dr. Sik Chung
The Wisconsin RISE-AI initiative is designed to accelerate the growth of UW-Madison’s network of AI innovators with a mission to bring a human centered approach to artificial intelligence. This initiative is one of the reasons that drew Sik to join the Wisconsin School of Business.
Sik received his Ph.D. degree from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin. His research examines how algorithmic tools reshape the way humans collaborate and learn, and how firms can use AI responsibly and strategically.
“When I was an undergraduate in South Korea, I became interested in platform businesses because they often utilize algorithms to attract user’s attention to make money,” he explains.
It is this fascination that led him to pursue AI-related computer science and engineering. A pivotal moment came after having a chance to work on a coding project that utilized GitHub. He experienced firsthand how algorithms could support collaboration. That experience set his research agenda: understanding how AI changes teamwork and learning—and what it means for human performance.
Today, his ultimate research goal is to understand how companies can use and leverage AI to their competitive advantage.
“Given it’s early in my career, I want to show how AI, in general, influences human collaboration and firms’ innovation performance,” Sik explains. “From there, I hope to offer practical, strategic suggestions.”
While AI is advancing quickly, Sik underscores the durable role of expertise. “Because AI systems can generate hallucinations, human judgment will remain essential—and increasingly valuable. For students to survive this era, it is essential for them to be experts in their fields.”
As AI becomes more integrated into business and education, Sik is focused on equipping the next generation with tools and using good judgement on how to utilize AI wisely.
Dr. Jingya You
You might wonder how does someone with a civil engineering background end up researching scalable startups? For Jingya, the path to business academia was anything but typical.
“I did not know much about the research topics in business when I started my Ph.D. in strategy and entrepreneurship at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign” Jingya says.
But after working with her Ph.D. advisor on a project about unicorns, Jingya became intrigued by the rapid growth of these highly scalable firms and increasingly curious about broader questions related to firm scaling and scalability. Beyond shaping her research interests, her advisor’s mentorship has had a lasting impact on her. His thoughtful guidance, encouragement, and dedication to student development have profoundly influenced her academic journey. Jingya is excited to carry this impact forward with her future students at WSB.
Today, Jingya is a phenomena-driven researcher passionate about enhancing our understanding of firm scaling. Her work examines how digital firms respond to variations in the inherent scalability of their businesses and the performance implications of these strategic responses.
Beyond her research, Jingya is committed to teaching. “I want students to think critically, develop skills to analyze real cases, and apply what they learn to their future jobs,” she says, “I hope my students will leave my class with a deeper understanding of how to analyze strategic business situations, formulate effective strategies, and implement them to drive long-term success.”
In addition, Jingya is thrilled to join the Wisconsin community. “I am so excited to be a part of Wisconsin. I feel that this is a collegial and supportive group, and I look forward to contributing to and learning from this fantastic community.”
Sik and Jingya will begin teaching courses in Spring Semester 2026 to both undergraduate and graduate students. We are grateful they have joined us and we welcome them to the Management and Human Resources Department.
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