The Digital Business Institute brings together business professionals, thought leaders, and researchers for engaging, topical, and thought-provoking events that showcase leading-edge digital business research.
Did you miss one of our recent events? Watch the video here.
Events
Online Research Seminar on Digital Businesses
Hosted by the Digital Business Institute at the Questrom School of Business, this virtual seminar series is focused on various challenges relevant to digital businesses, particularly platforms and data-enabled businesses. We hope to attract a wide variety of methodologies (theoretical and empirical) from many fields: information systems, strategy, law, marketing, economics, etc. PhD students are welcome and all scholars are welcome to present early-stage work. The Online Research Seminar on Digital Businesses meets on the third Monday of every month at 8pm EST (5pm PST).
This series is designed to help undergraduates connect directly with Questrom professors, learn about their work, and discover meaningful ways to get involved in academic research. This series is perfect for students curious about research, exploring new academic interests, or learning how to collaborate with faculty on academic research projects. The series is moderated by Pramay Jain, QST ’28.
Our next guest is Professor Anita Carson, the Larz Anderson Professor of Management and Operations & Technology Management. Her research explores how organizations can improve operational performance by learning from the challenges employees encounter on the front lines—especially in complex settings like healthcare. She has received numerous honors, including the Best Dissertation Award from AcademyHealth, a Sloan Industry Studies Fellowship, and a Best Paper Award from the California Management Review.
Thursday, April 24, 2025
12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Hybrid event: In person in the Questrom Event Center, and virtual on zoom.
A dynamic, fast paced “blitz” of faculty presentations of research with impact.
Digital Marketing Symposium: Transforming Customer Engagement: The Power of AI in Personalization
Digital Marketing Symposium: Transforming Customer Engagement: The Power of AI in Personalization
Thursday, March 27, 2025
1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Hybrid event: In person in the Questrom Event Center, and virtual on zoom.
Beantown Showdown Hackathon
Beantown Showdown Hackathon
Friday, March 21, and Saturday, Marcy 22, 2025
Presented in partnership with the Boston Blockchain Association, this event empowers students to tackle business case problems with emerging technology by bridging technical and non-technical education and community silos.
Thursday, February 20, 2025
12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Hybrid event: In person in the Questrom Event Center, and virtual on zoom.
Watch the videos on our youtube channel:
Laurina Zhang
Meizi Zhou
Shunto Kobayashi
Jinglong Zhao
Mario Leccese
Generative AI: Reflecting on Two Years Since ChatGPT's Launch
Generative AI: Reflecting on Two Years Since ChatGPT’s Launch
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
3:30 PM – 5:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Hybrid event: in-person at the Questrom Event Center, virtual on zoom webinar.
Has the feared displacement of workers happened? Is it still coming? Join us for this engaging discussion on Generative AI.
Data Blitz - Faculty Research Showcase
Data Blitz – Faculty Research Showcase
Monday, October 28, 2024
12:00 PM – 2:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Hybrid event: in-person at the Questrom Event Center, virtual on zoom webinar.
Come celebrate the innovative and exciting research that our esteemed research faculty are working on. This will be a dynamic, fast paced “blitz” of faculty presentations of research with impact. Lunch will be served for those who attend in person. This event is hosted by the Digital Business Institute.
New Directions in Research on the Psychology of Technology: The Quantified Society
New Directions in Research on the Psychology of Technology: The Quantified Society
October 12-13, 2024
Boston University Center for Computing and Data Sciences
We hosted the 8th annual Psychology of Technology Institute’s “New Directions in Research on the Psychology of Technology” conference. The conference theme was “The Quantified Society”. The event brings together a unique mix of industry leaders, behavioral scientists, technologists, and those in the AI community who are especially interested in creating a healthy psychological future for the increasingly common use of AI in daily life.
July 15-16, 2024
Boston University Center for Computing and Data Sciences
The Digital Business Institute is proud to be the main sponsor of the 12th annual Platform Strategy Research Symposium, bringing together global scholars to advance the latest research.
We are proud to be a cohost for this event, bringing together world-class experts and thought leaders to delve into digital health, preventative care, inequity, medical imaging and more!
Thursday, March 28, 2024, 12:00pm- 2:00pm EST
Questrom Event Center, 4th floor, Questrom School of Business
Come celebrate the innovative and exciting research that our esteemed research faculty are working on. This will be a dynamic, fast paced “blitz” of 5 presentations of research with impact. Lunch will be served for those who attend in person.
Watch videos for each section:
Digital Marketing Symposium
Digital Marketing Symposium
Monday, February 26, 2024, 1:00pm- 5:00pm EST
Questrom Event Center, 4th floor, Questrom School of Business
Generative AI has the potential to revolutionize the way businesses engage with customers and conduct marketing activities. In this event, Industry and Academia come together for a deep dive on the impact of GenAI on marketing.
Fusion Strategy: How Real-Time Data and AI will Power the Industrial Future
Fusion Strategy: How Real-Time Data and AI will Power the Industrial Future
Wednesday, January 31, 2024, 4:00pm- 5:00pm EST
Zoom Webinar
Join us for an inside look at a fascinating new book by Venkat Venkatraman and Vijay Govindarajan (VG), hashtag#FusionStrategy. It will be published by Harvard Business Review Press in March 2024. If you enjoyed Professor Venkatraman’s previous book, The Digital Matrix, you won’t want to miss this one.
Every industry is moving towards a digital future, and every company will need to fuse physical and digital domains to thrive. We have seen how asset-light industries succumbed to digital shifts. That’s old news. The next frontier is the digitization of asset-heavy industries. This transformation will see an accelerating role for data and AI. We are sure you will agree that the digitization of the industrial world is just starting. If you accept the premise, our book is a must-read.
Preorders are now available on Amazon; reserve your copy today to be among the first to receive it in March.
Faculty Data Blitz - Fall 2023
Faculty Data Blitz
Wednesday, November 15, 2023, 12:00pm – 2:00pm EST
Questrom Event Center, 4th floor, Questrom School of Business
Come celebrate the innovative and exciting research that our esteemed research faculty are working on. This will be a dynamic, fast paced “blitz” of 5 presentations of research with impact. Lunch will be served for those who attend in person.
Unintended Consequences of Digital Health Innovation
Unintended Consequences of Digital Health Innovation
Wednesday, November 8. 2023, 1:00pm – 2:00pm
Questrom Event Center, 4th floor, Questrom School of Business, Hybrid event
The adoption of telehealth technology affects competition between healthcare providers in urban and rural areas. While rural patients appear to benefit from more widely available telehealth services, rural health care providers suffer financially, with potentially dire consequences in the long term. Join us for this fascinating discussion into some unintended consequences of innovation!
Speakers: Gordon Burtch, Kelli Questrom Associate Professor in Management, Associate Professor, Information Systems Meizi Zhou, Assistant Professor, Information Systems Abraham (Avi) Seidmann, Everett W. Lord Distinguished Faculty Scholar, Professor, Information Systems
M&A activities in the tech industry have significant implications for product management. Product managers play a pivotal role in assessing the strategic fit of acquired products, integrating technologies, aligning cultures, managing customer impact, retaining talent, adjusting roadmaps, and maintaining a competitive edge in the market. Our guests, Haseeb Jawad, Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives, and Lilac Schoenbeck, VP of Strategic Initiatives, both from Rocket Software, will discuss the Product Manager’s role in M&A. Join us for this exciting discussion, sponsored by the Digital Business Institute.
Tech Titans Under Scrutiny: Government Regulation, FTC Lawsuits, and Amazon's Future
Tech Titans Under Scrutiny: Government Regulation, FTC Lawsuits, and Amazon’s Future
It was a great discussion of the FTC’s case against Amazon: the issues, possible remedies and what it means to you.
Moderator: Dionne Lomax, Lecturer, Markets, Public Policy and Law, Boston University Questrom School of Business and (by courtesy) at Boston University’s School of Law
Speakers: Andrei Hagiu, Associate Professor, Information Systems, Boston University Questrom School of Business Chiara Farronato, Glenn and Mary Jane Creamer Associate Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School Andrey Fradkin, Dean’s Research Scholar Assistant Professor, Marketing, Boston University Questrom School of Business
Tuesday, October 10, 2023, 1:00pm – 2:00pm EST
Questrom Event Center, 4th floor, Questrom School of Business, Hybrid event
Guest Speakers: Gordon Burtch,Kelli Questrom Associate Professor in Management, Associate Professor, Information Systems Dokyun Lee, Kelly Questrom Associate Professor in Management, Associate Professor, Information Systems
Tuesday, September 12, 2023
What a groundbreaking event! The Generative AI World Conference brings together AI experts, researchers, and business leaders to discuss the impacts and potential of generative AI, focused on the latest innovations in natural language processing, computer vision, reinforcement learning, and more.
The Digital Business Institute was proud to be an educational partner with the conference.
In this thought-provoking event, we brought together some of the brightest minds from academia and industry to delve deep into the world of generative AI and its potential impact on organizations.
Guest Speakers: DK Lee, Kelly Questrom Associate Professor in Management, Information Systems, Boston University Questrom School of Business Jimmy Hexter, Philip Van Horn Gerdine Professor in Global Business, Boston University Questrom School of Business, Co-Founder, GAI Insights Paul Baier, CEO and Co-Founder, GAI Insights
Friday, May 12, 2023
Questrom School of Business, Boston University
We were delighted to host the 2023 IT Teaching Workshop, sponsored by INFORMS Information Systems Society, the Boston University Digital Business Institute, the Boston University Questrom School of Business and the Simon Business School, University of Rochester. The workshop covered innovations in teaching both IT and analytics to undergraduate, MBA, and specialized masters’ students in business.
Digital Marketing Symposium: Relevance and Privacy - Leveraging Personalized Marketing for Responsible Growth
Thursday, March 16, 2023, 1:00pm -5:30pm EST
Executive Dining Rooms, 4th floor, Questrom School of Business
Keynote Speaker: David Edelman, Former CMO, Aetna, Senior Lecturer, Harvard Business School
Industry Speakers: Nicholas Primola, Executive Vice President, Association of National Advertising (ANA) Andrea “Andy” Coville, CEO Brodeur Partners
Questrom Faculty Speakers: Garrett Johnson, Assistant Professor, Marketing Barbara Bickart, Senior Associate Dean, Graduate Programs, Associate Professor, Marketing Dokyun (DK) Lee, Kelli Questrom Associate Professor in Management, Associate Professor, Information Systems Peter Howard, Professor of the Practice, Marketing, Executive Director, Digital Business Institute, Executive Director, MSDT Program
Data Blitz, March 2023
Where we showcase Digital Business Institute Faculty Research that Matters. Tuesday, March 21, 2023, 2:00pm – 3:30pm EST
Questrom Executive Dining Rooms, 4th floor, Questrom School of Business
Presenters: Michelle Shell, Visiting Assistant Professor, Operations and Technology Management Abraham (Avi) Seidmann, Everett W. Lord Distinguished Faculty Scholar, Professor, Information Systems Andrei Hagiu, Dean’s Research Scholar, Associate Professor, Information Systems Keith Ericson, Dean’s Research Scholar, Associate Professor, Markets, Public Policy, Law Garrett Johnson, Assistant Professor, Marketing
Insights@Questrom Webinar: How Higher Ed Can Contend With Learning Platforms
Wednesday, February 22, 2023, from 2:00pm – 3:00pm EST Professors Chrysanthos Dellarocas and Andrei Hagiu discuss their recent article in Harvard Business Review on strategies to navigate the emerging landscape of learning platforms in higher education.
Insights@Questrom Webinar: The Digitalization of Supply Chains
Wednesday, February 15, 2023, from 2:00pm – 3:00pm EST Professor Nitin Joglekar, Associate Professor, Operations and Technology Management, discusses the digitization of the backbone of our economy, our supply chains.
Digital Business Institute Symposium - The Emerging Impact of AI on Consumer Engagement
Tuesday, January 31, 2023, 2:00pm – 5:30pm
Questrom Executive Dining Rooms, 4th floor, Questrom School of Business
Questrom School of Business Professors in Information Systems and Industry Experts discuss the significance of AI and current trends.
Speakers:
Michelle Shell, Visiting Assistant Professor In operations and technology management Jeevan Duggempudi, Partner, AI and Analytics, IBM Consulting Meizi Zhou, Assistant Professor in Information Systems Gordon Burtch, Kelli Questrom Associate Professor In Management, Associate Professor, Information Systems David Epstein, Ahmass Fakahany Visiting Professor in Global Leadership, Visiting professor of the Practice, Information systems. Executive Director, Susilo Institute for Ethics in the Global Economy Dokyun Lee, Kelli Questrom Associate Professor In Management Associate Professor, Information Systems Abraham Seidmann, Everett W. Lord Distinguished Faculty Scholar, Professor, Information Systems
Blockchain, Beyond Crypto
December 5, 2022, 4pm -5:30pm EST
Boston University Questrom School of Business Auditorium
An Expert Panel Discussion on the current state and future trends in the emerging technology of blockchain.
Panelists: Steven Kou, Questrom Professor in Management, Professor, Finance Gerry Tsoukalas, Dean’s Research Scholar, Associate Professor, Information Systems Mark Williams, Master Lecturer, Finance Tim Swanson, Head of Market Intelligence, Clearmatics
Moderated by Yasmin Amer, Senior Business Reporter, WBUR
Insights@Questrom Webinar: When People Will (and Won’t) Trust Algorithms
Tuesday, November 15 from 2:00pm – 3:00pm EST
Speaker: Dr. Carey Morewedge – Everett W. Lord Distinguished Faculty Scholar, Professor, Marketing
Watch the video:
Data Blitz, November 2022
Thanks to all who joined us for the Digital Business Institute Data Blitz, where we showcase Faculty Research that Matters.
Monday, November 14, from 12pm -2pm
Questrom Executive Dining Rooms, 4th floor.
Speaker:Andrei Hagiu – Dean’s Research Scholar, Associate Professor, Information Systems
Leakage happens when participants meet on a marketplace but take their transactions off the platform to avoid paying the marketplace its cut. What are the factors that determine the severity of the leakage problem for any given marketplace? And what can marketplaces do to deal with leakage?
Watch the video:
Platform Strategy Research Symposium, July 2022
July 19, 2022, Boston University Questrom School of Business
Bringing together global scholars to advance the latest research.
Crypto and Blockchain Economics Research (CBER) Forum, May 2022
Friday, May 13, 2022, All day in person/hybrid event
The Digital Business Institute was proud to host the 2nd Crypto and Blockchain Economics Research Forum Conference. The Crypto and Blockchain Economics Research (CBER) Forum is a group of blockchain faculty from leading universities. This 2022 conference was organized in collaboration with Management Science, Boston University’s Questrom School of Business and the Digital Business Institute (DBI), Columbia University’s Industrial Engineering and Operations Research Department, Ecole Polytechnique, FinTech at Cornell – an Initiative of the SC Johnson College of Business, the NYU Stern School of Business, the University of Toronto Rotman School of Management’s FinHub, and the Wake Forest University School of Business
This highly successful hybrid event drew over 100 scholars from all over the world. The keynote speakers were Antoinette Schoar, Stewart C. Myers-Horn Family Professor of Finance and Entrepreneurship, MIT Sloan School of Management, and J. Christopher Ginacarlo, United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
Insights@Questrom Webinar: Free Speech, Platforms & The Fake News Problem
Thursday, April 21, 2022, from 2:00pm – 3:00pm ET
Speaker: Marshall Van Alstyne, Questrom Chair Professor at Boston University, coauthor of the international bestseller Platform Revolution and one of the world’s experts on network business models.
This webinar examines the key attributes of “fake news” and of current solutions, and present design tradeoffs for curbing fake news.
Insights@Questrom Webinar: Pros and Cons of Decentralized Platforms
Tuesday, February 22, 2022, from 2:00pm – 3:00pm EST
It is well-known that centralized platforms with network effects are the most powerful businesses on the planet (e.g. Airbnb, Alibaba, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft). But blockchain technologies and smart contracts have given rise to the emergence of decentralized platforms, i.e. platforms that are not completely controlled by a single corporate entity. In this exciting 1-hour session, Professor Andrei Hagiu, Dean’s Research Scholar and Associate Professor in Information Systems and recognized expert on platform businesses, will discuss the advantages and drawbacks of decentralized platforms, and the extent to which they can challenge “traditional”, centralized platforms.
Moderated by Ben Lubin, Clinical Associate Professor, Information Systems Faculty Director, MSDT Program
Speakers/Panelists:
Neel Madhvani, former VP of Product, Chewy and Questrom MBA 2011
Anis Raja, Senior Director of Software Engineering, Chewy
Brad Durkin, Head of Design, Perch
Insights@Questrom Webinar: The Cookies are Crumbling: What's Next for Digital Advertising?
Cookies have already been turned off by Firefox and Safari and Google announced it will ban third-party cookies beginning in 2022. What are the implications for the marketing industry? What’s next?
Join Questrom Professors Pete Howard and Garrett Johnson as they discuss the future of the marketing industry in a post cookie world.
MIS Quarterly Showcase September 2021, Managing AI
Friday, September 24, 2021
Join editors and authors for a discussion of the papers in the MIS Quarterly Special Issue on Managing AI
This event is sponsored by the Digital Business Institute and MIS Quarterly. Event Agenda and Video
Platform Strategy Research Symposium, July 2021
July 16, 2021, Boston University Questrom School of Business
Insights@Questrom Webinar: Should We Regulate Platforms? How?
May 27, 2021, 12:00pm – 2:00pm EDT
Join Marshall Van Alstyne, Questrom Professor in Management, as he hosts a panel of experts, including Andrei Hagiu, Associate Professor of Information Systems, to discuss whether platforms should be regulated, the implications of such actions, and possible solutions on how to regulate them. Guest speakers include the former Chief Economist for Microsoft, lead author of the U Chicago antitrust report, lead author of the EU antitrust report, and the review team for the EU Digital Markets Act.
Digitally Transforming Post-COVID Health Care 7 Part Series
This 7-session series presents an evidence-based approach to digitally transforming Health Care to address the immediate COVID Crisis and improve post-COVID Health Care outcomes dramatically.
The Digital Business Institute and the Information Systems Department at Boston University Questrom School of Business co-host the Boston Digital Leadership Forum, where we feature well-known digital business leaders or thinkers to discuss our digital future. Find out more.
