The people
behind the mission.
Songyee Yoon, Ph.D.
Songyee Yoon is a technologist, researcher, and institution-builder whose career spans computational neuroscience, public-interest technology, and global institutions of science and public policy.
She holds a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in computational neuroscience, and earlier studied at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. Her work has long sat at the intersection of computing, human cognition, and the ethical questions raised by large-scale technology — a perspective she describes as "tech humanist."
Dr. Yoon serves as an advisory council member of the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, a visiting fellow at RAND's Center to Advance Racial Equity Policy, a trustee of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and HP Inc., and a member of the MIT Corporation. She previously served on the Republic of Korea's Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology under two administrations.
Her professional background includes leadership roles in technology and research. She was previously President and Chief Strategy Officer of NCSOFT, where she founded the company's AI and Natural Language Processing Centers to study the societal implications of emerging computational systems. She is the founder and managing partner of Principal Venture Partners, an early-stage venture firm focused on AI-native companies.
Dr. Yoon has been named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and selected among The Wall Street Journal's "50 Women to Watch in Business." She is a frequent speaker and writer on the integration of ethical principles into the design, research, and deployment of emerging technologies.
As President of the Technology Commons Alliance, Dr. Yoon leads the organization's charitable and educational work in advancing public-interest research, fellowship, and equitable access to knowledge and tools.
- Education Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Computational Neuroscience) · KAIST
- Institutional Service MIT Corporation · Carnegie Endowment for International Peace · HP Inc. · Stanford HAI Advisory Council · RAND (Visiting Fellow)
- Public Service Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology, Republic of Korea (two administrations)
- Recognition Young Global Leader, World Economic Forum · Wall Street Journal, "50 Women to Watch in Business"
- Professional Founder & Managing Partner, Principal Venture Partners · former President and Chief Strategy Officer, NCSOFT
Additional leadership forthcoming.
Additional board directors, officers, and senior staff will be announced as formation proceeds. TCA's governance is designed to maintain independence between officer roles and to bring together perspectives from research, education, philanthropy, and public policy.