Latest Research
Entrepreneurial Spawning Across Generations: How Organizational Experience Shapes First-Generation and Second-Generation Immigrant Entrepreneurship
This project studies how prior work experience shapes who becomes an entrepreneur, when they found companies, and how successful those ventures become. Focusing on first-generation immigrants, second-generation immigrants, and native-born workers in the US, the study compares careers that begin in large technology firms with those that start in early-stage startups. Using employment histories from ...Read More
Cybersecurity and Gray Hat Hacking
The advance of AI is rapidly increasing cybersecurity vulnerabilties and the risks that organizations face. While working with non-exploiting hackers is recognized as key to strengthening cybersecurity, we still lack a clear understanding of the challenges and dynamics that impact whether such partnerships succeed or breakdown. In this project we aim to identify when, why, ...Read More
Ownership, Corporate Ambidexterity, and AI Adoption
The increasing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) presents firms with an important choice between using these new technologies for short-term optimization (monitoring) or long-term adaptation (innovation). This study examines how corporate ownership structures influence AI implementation patterns. We argue that governance systems that emphasize optimization and rigorous performance metrics may inadvertently trigger the “exploitation trap,” ...Read More
AI as a Strategic Lens on Entrepreneurial Adaptation and Scaling
Entrepreneurial firms operate in environments characterized by rapid technological change, shifting demand, and heightened uncertainty. While prior research has identified factors associated with startup growth and survival, much of this work relies on static, ex post measures and offers limited insight into how firms adapt strategically in real time. This project proposes artificial intelligence as ...Read More
Is It Better to Pursue Goals in Sequence or in Parallel?
Sophia Pink, PhD Candidate, Operations, Information, and Decisions, The Wharton School; Jose Cervantez, PhD Candidate, Operations, Information, and Decisions, The Wharton School; Katy Milkman, Operations, Information, and Decisions, The Wharton School Abstract: When people want to build multiple habits, is it better to start them all at once or to layer them on gradually? This project ...Read More
Leadership Composition and Personal Narrative Framing in Female-Focused Ventures: A Hiring Experiment
Tiantian Yang, Management, The Wharton School Abstract: Female-led ventures in female-focused industries (e.g., FemTech) face a unique tension between authenticity and perceived legitimacy in the eyes of potential employees. While identity-based lived experience can signal market insight and mission alignment, it may also conflict with gendered norms about who leads high-growth ventures. This project explores how ...Read More
Private Equity Ownership and Human Capital Acquisition Strategy
The private equity industry has grown significantly in the past decades, and this explosive growth has generated much interest on the impact of private equity’s footprint on the economy and the labor market. Using career history data from nearly 11 million employees at 16,137 private equity-backed firms from 2000 to 2024, I find that firms ...Read More
The Hidden Tolls of Reputational Risk: Using Media Sentiment to Detect Threats to Corporate Reputation and Its Financial Impact
Corporate reputation is a vital strategic asset for organizations. Yet, its socially constructed nature has made it challenging for scholars to agree on a precise definition or develop a reliable measurement strategy for it. Historically, scholars have relied on measures that are useful for assessing reputation earned but fail to capture its dynamic nature or ...Read More
Generative AI for Efficient and Equitable Healthcare on a Global Scale
This proposal presents two innovative research projects designed to harness the transformative power of AI to enhance healthcare outcomes. In close collaboration with the Somaliland Ministry of Health and Development (MoHD), the Taiwan International Cooperation Development Fund (ICDF), and Penn researchers, we aim to tackle critical healthcare challenges in Somaliland, one of East Africa’s most ...Read More
TwoMinds: Understanding How Humans and AI Systems Achieve Mutual Understanding
As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into daily life, understanding how humans and machines achieve mutual understanding has become a crucial scientific challenge. Our research addresses this challenge by developing a digital web platform that studies how humans and AI systems communicate and build shared understanding in real-time. While machines can now model our preferences ...Read More