Arvind Karunakaran

Arvind Karunakaran is an Assistant Professor at Stanford University in the Department of Management Science and Engineering. He holds affiliations with the Center for Work, Technology, and Organization (WTO), Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP), Stanford Institute for Human-centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), and the Digital Economy Lab (DEL). His research focuses on authority and accountability in the workplace, particularly under technological change and human-AI augmentation.

Education:

• Ph.D. from MIT Sloan School of Management (2018)

His work employs ethnographic and field-based methods to study empirical puzzles in workplace dynamics, complemented by comparative-historical analysis and quantitative/textual data analysis. Key research areas include social/algorithmic evaluation of workers, human-AI reskilling, and conflicts in symmetrical relations.

Recent publications analyze AI's impact on workplace inequality, platform governance, and crowd-based accountability. His findings are published in top journals like Administrative Science Quarterly and Organization Science.

Scientific Awards & Recognitions:

• Best Published Paper Award (ASA, 2025)
• Gerard J. Tellis Best Junior Faculty Paper Award (AIM Conference, 2025)
• W. Richard Scott Article Award (ASA, 2024)
• Responsible Research in Management Award (RRBM, 2024)
• Future of Organizations Fellowship (2024)

Professor Karunakaran advises doctoral and master's students in areas related to technology and organizations, and teaches courses on organizational behavior, organizational theory, and innovation management.