Young Jun Ko has extensive experience as an educator, designer, and researcher.

He earned a B.A. (1986) from Seoul National University of Science & Technology, Korea, an M.F.A. (1991) from the Rochester Institute Technology, USA, and a Ph.D. (2003) from Kinki University, Japan. Between 2004 and 2022, he served as a faculty member at Seoul National University of Science & Technology, teaching a range of design courses across different levels and overseeing multiple graduate theses.

His dedication to mentoring students resulted in numerous design awards, including the IF Concept Award. 

Prior to his academic career, he held positions as a senior researcher and a senior designer at the Korea Institute of Design Promotion and Eson Design. He designed many products including mountain bikes, electric bikes, expressway toll booths, ATM, baby strollers, and digital weighing scales. Moreover, he led diverse research projects, including the Dementia-friendly neighborhood design.

In 2022, he established his own design consultancy, UD PLUS, to actively engage in design projects. Presently, he is leading the development of adaptable toilet devices with a universal design concept. This ongoing four-year project, initiated in 2020, is scheduled to conclude by the end of 2023. The project’s achievements were showcased at the Korea Rehabilitation, Homecare, Welfare Expo in June 2023.

His contributions have earned him recognition, including Top Design in the 2023 European Product Design Award, IDA 2023 Gold, the Korea Industrial Design Award, and two instances of the Outstanding Paper Award from a Scopus Index Journal. Furthermore, he holds more than 30 intellectual property rights, including 7 patents and 2 utility patents, and has authored over 50 peer-reviewed papers along with five books.