Research as a Moral Mirror
Minha Lee receives Young Researcher Award for research on how technology shapes moral emotions, combining AI, design, and ethics within Industrial Design.
Minha Lee has received the Young Researcher Award during Research Day 2026 at Eindhoven University of Technology. The Industrial Design researcher was recognized for her work on technology, ethics, and design.
Lee is an assistant professor in Industrial Design and studies how people relate to technology on a moral and emotional level. In her work with conversational agents, she examines how technology can shape our moral emotions, while the systems themselves do not have emotions.
New perspectives
In her research, Lee combines insights from AI, design, and ethics. She takes a multidisciplinary approach and applies both qualitative and quantitative methods to better understand how moral decisions emerge in interactions with technology.
The jury referred to this approach in its motivation for the award. During Research Day, it was noted that her work is grounded in technology while also addressing broader societal and ethical questions.
Curiosity at work
The award was presented during Research Day 2026, where curiosity was highlighted as a driving force for research. According to the organizers, progress depends on continuously asking questions and connecting different perspectives.
This perspective aligns with Lee鈥檚 work, which focuses on exploring moral boundaries and human responses to technology. Her research examines how interactions with technology influence how people feel and make decisions.
Wider context
The Young Researcher Award is part of the annual Science Awards, which recognize researchers for their contributions to science and society. The awards are intended to support the further development of their research.
In the Young Researcher category, Lee was nominated alongside Maarten Houben and Pavlo Bazilinskyy from Industrial Design, as well as Marta Gil P茅rez and Shahryar Ershad Sarabi from Built Environment and Rianne Conijn and Albert Schrotenboer from Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences.
Other awards were presented as well. Federico Corradi received the Groundbreaking Researcher Award, Carlijn Bouten was given the Leadership in Excellence Award, Elze Swinkels won the Best EngD Thesis award, and Derek van Tilborg received the Best PhD Thesis award.