She then went on to earn a Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Chicago, writing her thesis on "Stereoisomeric Bromoimino Ketones" under the supervision of Julius Stieglitz.

In 1934, she resigned to take up an offer from Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago,[1] but when she arrived the director found out that she was a woman, and refused to hire her.

[3] With the United States at war, Young took a job in 1942 as a scientific librarian with the Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD) at the University of Chicago's Toxicity Laboratory, compiling American, British and Canadian reports on chemical warfare, and preparing an index of toxic chemicals.

[6] In 1946, Young joined the newly created Argonne National Laboratory in 1946 as Director of Technical Information, the first woman to be appointed a division head.

[7] In 1959, the Chicago Tribune named her as one of the city's most distinguished women in business or the professions,[2] and the Argonne National Laboratory established the Hoylande D. Young lecture series in her honor in 1963.