Sam Weinstein is a Professor of Law at the Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University. He previously held positions at U.C. Berkeley School of Law as a fellow and at the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division. His expertise spans antitrust law, competition policy, and regulatory history. He holds a J.D. and Ph.D. in U.S. History from U.C. Berkeley, alongside a B.A. from Haverford College. Education: J.D. (Order of the Coif) and Ph.D. in U.S. History from U.C. Berkeley; B.A. from Haverford College Professional Background: Attorney at U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division; Litigator at Munger, Tolles & Olson His research focuses on antitrust enforcement, innovation policy, and the historical evolution of regulatory frameworks. Notable areas include dynamic pricing algorithms, venture capital antitrust issues, and blockchain regulation. He teaches courses such as Antitrust, Contracts, and Corporations. Professor Weinstein's scholarship appears in top law reviews including NYU Law Review, Georgia Law Review, and Washington University Law Review. His work bridges legal theory with practical regulatory challenges in tech, finance, and corporate sectors.
Jan van den Ende is a Full Professor of Management of Technology and Innovation at the Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), Erasmus University. He is also Professor of Horticulture Innovation and a Visiting Professor at LUISS Università Guido Carli in Rome, Italy, reflecting his broad academic engagement across disciplines and institutions. His research centers on the development of new products and services, with a focus on idea management , control of NPD projects , design management , and sustainable innovation . His work is deeply interdisciplinary, spanning innovation management, organizational studies, and strategic management, as reflected in his publications in top journals such as Research Policy , Harvard Business Review , and IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management . The trends in his recent publications highlight a sustained focus on innovation processes in complex environments, including project-based organizations, multinational enterprises, and high-tech industries like video games. His research increasingly explores socio-organizational dynamics such as status, resource scarcity, and entrepreneurial incubation. He has held long-standing editorial roles in leading journals including: Research Policy (Editor since 2003) IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management (Editor since 2007) Journal of Management Studies (Editor since 2009) Service Business (Editor since 2012) He teaches in MBA and Executive Education programs for global firms such as ASML, FrieslandCampina, IFF, and MAN, bridging academic research with industry practice. He has supervised 25 academic works, indicating a strong commitment to mentoring the next generation of scholars. His work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to sustainable economic growth and innovation. He earned his PhD from Delft University of Technology.
Melissa A. Schilling is the Herzog Family Professor of Management at New York University Stern School of Business, where she is also Deputy Chair of the Management & Organizations Department and Director of the Innovation Initiative at the Fubon Center for Technology, Business and Innovation. She joined NYU Stern in 2001 and is a leading scholar in innovation and strategic management. Ph.D., Strategic Management, University of Washington, 1997 B.S., Business Administration, University of Colorado at Boulder, 1990 Melissa Schilling's research centers on innovation in high-technology industries, including smartphones, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and renewable energy. She explores platform ecosystems, network externalities, technological standards, and the cognitive and social traits of breakthrough innovators. Her work integrates strategic management with organizational behavior and technological evolution. She is particularly known for her studies on how firms can accelerate innovation adoption and create value in complex ecosystems. Her recent publications reveal a strong trend in digital transformation, platform competition, and the cognitive foundations of visionary leadership. She analyzes how firms manage innovation in platform-based markets and how breakthrough ideas emerge from outlier thinking. Her articles frequently appear in top journals such as Strategic Management Journal , Organization Science , and Management Science . Scientific Awards and Recognitions: National Science Foundation CAREER Award 2022 Sumantra Ghoshal Award for Rigour and Relevance in Management 2018 Leadership in Technology Management, PICMET Best Paper in Management Science and Organization Science, 2012 Broderick Prize for Excellence in Research, Boston University Melissa Schilling has advised numerous doctoral students and contributed to major research initiatives, including a National Academy of Sciences committee on electric vehicle deployment. She has secured grants from the NSF and Kauffman Foundation. She is a senior editor at Strategy Science and serves on the editorial boards of several leading management journals. She also leads the Innovation Initiative at the Fubon Center, fostering industry-academia collaboration in tech innovation. She is actively involved in research labs and innovation centers at NYU Stern, particularly those focused on technology ecosystems and digital transformation. Her leadership in the Fubon Center drives interdisciplinary research on how businesses can leverage technological change for competitive advantage.
Carlos Toxtli is an Assistant Professor at Clemson University where he leads the Human-AI Empowerment Lab. His research applies Human-Centered AI to create fair workplace tools, focusing on NLP, computer vision, and crowdsourcing ethics. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from Northeastern University and previously worked at Google, Microsoft Research, and Snap Inc. Education: Ph.D. Computer Science, Northeastern University M.S. Innovation & Technological Entrepreneurship, Monterrey Institute of Technology MBA, IEDE Business School B.S. Computer Science, University of the Valley of Mexico B.S. Computer Engineering, National Autonomous University of Mexico Research Focus: Dr. Toxtli develops AI systems promoting workplace fairness through ethical frameworks. His work spans: 1) Human-AI collaboration for task management, 2) Bias mitigation in gig economies, 3) Multimodal interfaces for accessibility, and 4) Culturally adaptive systems. His lab explores how AI can augment human capabilities while ensuring transparency. Publication Trends: Recent works demonstrate strong focus on LLM reliability (7 papers), human-AI teaming (4 studies), and ethical AI frameworks (3 publications). Over 60% of 2024-2025 output addresses real-world deployment challenges. Awards: UNESCO IRCAI Global Top 100 project Google Apps Developer Challenge 1st Place Facebook Developers World Hack 1st Prize Intel Innovation Latin App 1st Prize NSF STIR Labs Research Grant Leadership: Founded the Human-AI Empowerment Lab securing $1.2M in NSF/industry grants. Supervises 8 PhD students in human-centered computing projects. Previously co-founded 5 tech startups including ComproPago (acquired by Coca-Cola FEMSA).
Julia Powles is an Associate Professor at the UWA Law School and Director of the UWA Tech & Policy Lab. Her research focuses on privacy, intellectual property, internet governance, and the legal and political dimensions of data, automation, and AI. She has led investigations into high-profile cases like the NHS/Google DeepMind data breach and Sidewalk Labs’ smart city project. Currently, she advises on national robotics strategy, responsible AI, and privacy policies in Australia. With a background spanning academia, policy, and law, she holds roles in global committees and contributes to media outlets like the New Yorker and Financial Times. Her work bridges legal frameworks and technological innovation, emphasizing ethical governance and societal impact. Education: BSc (Hons) ANU, LLB (Hons) UWA, BCL Oxford, PhD Cantab. Expertise includes AI ethics, data privacy, and regulatory policy. Recent projects address drone delivery systems, corporate accountability of Big Tech, and governance in health monitoring. Awards include the 40 Under 40 Award for WA (2022) and Poynter Fellowship (2018). Grants include the Children’s Online Safety Program (2024–2027) and Minderoo Foundation initiatives. She chairs the PRIS Universities Network and co-chairs international tech policy summits. Roles: Director, UWA Tech & Policy Lab; Expert on National AI Centre, WA Privacy Committee. Research: Over 100 outputs, focusing on AI governance, corporate liability, and tech ethics.
Pieter Ballon is a Full Professor at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and Director of imec-SMIT, part of the Studies in Media, Innovation and Technology (SMIT) research group. He holds dual affiliations in Communication Sciences and SMIT. His roles include leadership in interdisciplinary research projects and academic administration. Research expertise focuses on Smart Cities, Digital Platforms, and ICT business models. Key interests include platform urbanism, data ecosystems, and algorithmic systems' societal impacts. He has supervised 122 academic works, including 8 master’s theses listed here. Notable awards include the 1st Brussels Smart City Ambassador (2016-2017) and multiple Best Paper Awards. His work spans over 300 publications and 75 research projects, with active grants like SHALGO (2024-2028) and AMAI 5 (2025-2026). He frequently engages in public debates, academic conferences, and media discussions on topics like algorithmic governance and smart city technologies.
Lubomir P. Litov is the David M. Moffett Professor of Corporate Finance and an associate professor in the Finance Department at the Michael F. Price College of Business, University of Oklahoma. He also holds an appointment as Affiliate Associate Professor of Law at the OU College of Law. Dr. Litov received his Ph.D. in Economics from Leonard Stern School of Business at New York University. Prior to joining OU, he held faculty positions at the University of Arizona and Washington University in St. Louis. He is also a research associate at the Financial Institutions Center at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Litov's research focuses on several key areas of finance and corporate governance: Corporate governance mechanisms and board structures Mergers and acquisitions processes and outcomes Venture capital and private equity investment strategies Entrepreneurial finance and growth equity Capital structure decisions and risk management International corporate finance and policy impacts His recent publications examine critical issues such as dual-class stock IPOs, policy uncertainty effects on venture capital, poison pill defenses, and the relationship between venture capitalist directors and managerial incentives. Dr. Litov's work consistently bridges theoretical frameworks with practical applications in corporate finance and governance, with articles published in top journals including the Journal of Finance, Journal of Financial Economics, and Journal of Accounting and Economics. Dr. Litov has received numerous teaching and research honors including: Harold E. Hackler Outstanding MBA Professor Award (2022) Merrick Foundation Teaching Award (2018) Hurley Roberson Teaching Excellence Award (2017) William Sharpe award for best paper in JFQA (2010) As an educator, Dr. Litov teaches courses on Mergers, Acquisitions & Corporate Restructuring across multiple programs including the MBA, Executive MBA in Aerospace & Defense, and MSc in Finance. He also co-organizes the Virtual Household Finance Seminar and the NYU-Georgia Tech-OU Economics Virtual Seminar on Artificial Intelligence and Decentralized Finance, bringing together leading researchers to discuss cutting-edge developments in finance.
Chinmay Kulkarni is an Assistant Professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Human-Computer Interaction Institute, where he leads the Expertise@Scale lab. His research integrates large-scale data and automation to transform learning, work, and mentoring systems. Education : Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford University (recipient of the Arthur P Samuel Award) Previous Affiliations : Microsoft Research, Barcelona Supercomputing Center His research spans: Human-Computer Interaction design for massive collaboration Voice-controlled interfaces and AI tools Future of work in remote/hybrid environments Behavioral economics through tech interventions Creative entrepreneurship support systems Algorithmic feedback in education Recent publications with AI and education focus show strong trends in voice technology, peer feedback mechanisms, and scalable learning platforms. His lab's systems have been used by >100,000 users across 150 countries. Scientific Awards : Arthur P Samuel Award (Stanford thesis award) Advising & Grants : NSF grant recipient US Department of Education funding Office of Naval Research support Departmental fellowship Labs : Directs Expertise@Scale lab developing systems adopted by Coursera and edX. Current research group includes PhD students Yasmine Kotturi, Julia Cambre, Pranav Khadpe and Masters student Sayan Chaudhry.
Dr. Florian Urmetzer serves as Associate Teaching Professor and founding Director of the Ecosystems, Platforms & Strategy (EPS) Research Group at the University of Cambridge's Institute for Manufacturing (IfM). His expertise centers on strategy formulation tools for business ecosystems and platforms within manufacturing and services sectors. He teaches the Business Ecosystem Strategy course and leads IfM Engage consultancy projects for clients including IBM, ATOS, ABN-AMRO, CEMEX, Pearson Education, Leonardo rescue helicopters, and the NHS. Urmetzer holds a distinction MSc in Network Centred Computing and PhD from the University of Reading's School of Systems Engineering. His doctoral research developed real-time usability evaluation methods for distributed collaborative environments. Academically, he has been a visiting researcher at Barcelona Supercomputing Center and Politecnico di Milano. His research investigates industrial ecosystems from strategic and managerial perspectives, encompassing supply chains, digital platforms, and business ecosystem dynamics. This work has been published in leading journals including Journal of Business Research, European Journal of Information Systems, and Journal of Service Research. Analysis of his recent publications reveals dominant trends in technological sovereignty, platform ecosystem governance, and manufacturing relocation strategies. Prior to Cambridge, Urmetzer gained extensive industry experience as a consultant at Accenture in Zürich, Senior Researcher at SAP labs, and roles at Volkswagen AG, Gartner Inc., and IBM. He currently leads the EPS Research Group, which develops frameworks for organizations navigating complex industrial ecosystem dynamics.
Sarah E. Stein is an Associate Professor and Deloitte Foundation Faculty Fellow in the Department of Accounting and Information Systems at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). She serves as Director of the Ph.D. Program within the Pamplin College of Business. Her academic journey includes a Ph.D. from the University of Missouri, a B.S. and M.S. in Accounting from Truman State University, and CPA licensure in Colorado. Prior to academia, she worked as an audit manager at Deloitte in Denver. Education: Ph.D., University of Missouri; B.S. and M.S., Truman State University; CPA (Colorado) Roles: Deloitte Foundation Faculty Fellow, Director of Ph.D. Program Dr. Stein’s research focuses on auditor expertise, corporate governance, auditing networks, and financial reporting challenges. Her work has been published in top journals like The Accounting Review and Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory . She received the 2019 Best Paper Award in Issues in Accounting Education and the 2020 Innovation in Auditing Education Award for her data visualization audit case. Her recent articles (2023–2025) highlight themes such as audit committee responsibilities, CFO-audit partner dynamics, and small accounting firm strategies. Her teaching includes graduate auditing courses and PhD seminars. Research trends in her articles emphasize audit quality, governance evaluation, and emerging technologies in auditing. She actively contributes to professional standards through commentaries on PCAOB releases. Awards: 2019 Best Paper Award, 2020 Innovation Award, Deloitte Doctoral Fellowship Dr. Stein advises the Ph.D. program and collaborates with industry on audit innovation. Her lab focuses on auditing education and case development, reflecting her commitment to bridging academic research and practical application.
Dr. Yujie (Julie) Chen is an Associate Professor (on leave) at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Information, affiliated with the Department of Communication, Culture, Information & Technology (CCIT). Her work focuses on digital media's political economy, platform capitalism, and digital labour studies. She authored Super-Sticky WeChat and Chinese Society , analyzing WeChat's societal integration and platform power dynamics in China. Her research critiques how labour is marginalized in datafication discourse, particularly in platform-mediated sectors like ride-hailing (DiDi) and food delivery. Key themes include algorithmic control, worker resistance, and the interplay between technology, state policies, and labour conditions in China. Dr. Chen’s work bridges sociotechnical systems analysis with critical political economy frameworks. Her recent studies explore temporal exploitation in platform labour (e.g., food delivery workers’ time management), gamification of work processes, and the 'digital utility' concept deployed by platforms to justify market dominance. She frequently presents at conferences like AoIR and ICA, emphasizing global platform capitalism’s socio-economic impacts. Dr. Chen is completing a book manuscript examining labour’s erasure in datafication narratives and advocating for analytical frameworks that foreground embodied labour experiences. Her research also intersects with global South labour comparisons, notably between China and the Philippines in platform economies.
Ronald K. Mitchell is the Jean Austin Bagley Regents Chair in Management and Professor of Entrepreneurship at Texas Tech University’s Rawls College of Business. He holds dual citizenship in the U.S. and Canada, with a CPA license from Utah (1978) and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Utah (1994). His academic career spans roles at institutions like the University of Victoria (1994–2005), where he held the Francis G. Winspear Chair in Public Policy and Business. Education highlights include a Bachelors in Commerce from the University of Calgary (1976), CPA certification (1978), and a PhD in Business Admin (1994). His research focuses on entrepreneurship, stakeholder theory, technology commercialization, and international business practices. He is a recognized expert in entrepreneurial cognition and pedagogy, having developed innovative teaching methods including the experiential/hybrid-case method and web-based venture screening tools. Key research interests center on value creation through stakeholder engagement, entrepreneurial expertise development, and transaction systems theory. His work emphasizes the interplay between cognition, institutional environments, and ethical decision-making in business ecosystems. Notable contributions include pioneering frameworks for stakeholder salience and co-authoring foundational texts like Toward a Theory of Stakeholder Identification and Salience (1997). Awards include the Stanford Top 2% Global Researcher recognition (2021), TTU’s Barnie E. Rushing Research Award (2021), and the Heizer Dissertation Award (1995). He has advised on strategic initiatives such as the TTU System’s Possibilities Project (2007) and served in leadership roles for organizations like the Academy of Management’s Entrepreneurship Division. Professional service includes roles on institutional committees at Texas Tech (e.g., Promotion & Tenure Committee) and national/international bodies like the International Association for Business and Society. His teaching innovations include co-authoring case-based entrepreneurship textbooks and developing simulation tools for venture analysis. Ronald Mitchell’s work bridges theory and practice, with over 100 scholarly publications in top-tier journals like Academy of Management Review and Journal of Business Venturing . His research has influenced policies on technology transfer, entrepreneurial education, and stakeholder-centric corporate governance models.
Peter C. Wendell is a Lecturer in Strategic Management at the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB), where he has held a faculty appointment since 1991. He co-teaches the popular course Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital alongside prominent figures like Eric Schmidt and Scott Kupor. Wendell is also a managing director and founder of Sierra Ventures, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm with over $2 billion in investments, and a senior advisor at Westbridge Capital. He actively serves on multiple corporate boards, including Merck & Co. and Living Spaces Furniture (founded by his former students). Education: Wendell holds an MBA from Harvard Business School (1976, with distinction) and a B.A. in Arts from Princeton University (1972, magna cum laude). He previously worked at IBM and McKinsey & Company. Research & Expertise: His expertise spans venture capital strategies, corporate governance, and technology entrepreneurship. He has advised over 2,000 Stanford MBA students and contributed to landmark investments in companies like Intuit, Teradata, and Intuitive Surgical. Awards & Honors: • National Venture Capital Association’s American Spirit Award • Forbes’ Top 100 Tech Venture Investors • Princeton and Harvard leadership/service awards Advisory & Governance Roles: Wendell has served on over 25 corporate boards, including 10 public companies. He chaired Princeton University’s endowment board (Princo), growing its assets from $8B to $16B. He also advises Eric Schmidt’s family office and Scott Cook’s ventures. Additional Affiliations: Former trustee of Princeton University (18 years), ARTstor trustee, and board member of San Francisco’s Exploratorium. He remains active in philanthropy and educational initiatives.
Karina Gibert is a Full Professor at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), specifically at the Faculty of Computer Science of Barcelona (FIB) in the Department of Statistics and Operations Research. With a permanent teaching position since 1990, she contributes to research and education with a focus on Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Explainable AI, and Ethics in AI. Full Professor, UPC (since 1990) PhD in Informatics Engineering Postgraduate in Higher Education Teaching Director and co-founder of IDEAI research center Dean of the Official Professional College on Informatics Engineering of Catalonia Active in bridging the gender gap in STEAM through multiple initiatives Her research focuses on extracting strategic knowledge from data and intelligent systems with ethical and explainable perspectives. She has led various projects including Diet4You for personalized diets, INSESS-COVID19 for social vulnerability analysis, Top Rosies Talent for female AI development, and ciutadanIA for AI culture promotion. Her work spans health, environment, sustainability, tourism, and social technology applications. As an editor of Environmental Modeling and Software journal and active academic, she contributes to international conferences, working groups, and research collaborations. Her service includes membership on various ethics and AI strategy committees and advisory boards. Women Tech Award 2023 National Informatics Engineering Award in Digital Dissemination 2022 Ada Byron Award 2022 Honorific Mention of Creu Casas award 2021 donaTIC 2018 Award Finalist at AMETIC Awards 2021 Finalist of European Social Services Awards 2021
Overview Prof. Harris Kyriakou is an Associate Professor and Chair Holder of the Media & Digital Chair at ESSEC Business School. His research focuses on leveraging artificial and collective intelligence to enhance organizational value creation, digital strategy, and data-driven decision-making. He has advised multinational firms like Airbnb, Facebook, and Yelp, and his work is supported by grants from NSF and the Spanish government. Education Ph.D. in Management Sciences (Stevens Institute of Technology, 2016) M.S. in Engineering & Technology Innovation Management (Carnegie Mellon University, 2010) B.Sc. in Digital Systems (University of Piraeus, 2007) Research Focus His research explores intersections between AI/collective intelligence, blockchain, sharing economy regulations, and platform governance. Key themes include data network effects, algorithmic regulation, and digital transformation. Recent work on ChatGPT vs. Google examines AI-driven competitive dynamics in search markets. Recognition Awarded the 2024 Case Centre Triple Award, 2022 Early Career Award (AIS), and multiple best paper awards (AoM, INFORMS). Recognized as a 40-Under-40 MBA Professor by Poets & Quants. Teaching & Leadership Co-leads the 'Algorithmic Governance in Platform Economy' thesis Teaches courses on AI, digital strategy, and IT management at ESSEC and IESE Former Assistant Professor at IESE Business School (2016–2021) Professional Contributions Serves as a European Commission advisor on digitalization, reviewer for top journals (MIS Quarterly, Academy of Management Review), and mentor for doctoral candidates.
