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I am an Assistant Professor of Information Systems and Innovation in the Department of Management at the London School of Economics and Political Sciences (LSE).
I study the economics of digitization and artificial intelligence (AI) and their implications for sustainable business and society. Grounded in experimental and observational evidence, my research identifies causal effects and structural mechanisms by which digital innovation redistributes key inputs — time, space, attention, labor, and capital — and transforms individual choices and institutional dynamics. My work has been published in Management Science, Information Systems Research, Journal of Management Information Systems, and Journal of Information Technology.
At LSE, I lead, develop, and teach a diverse array of master's courses and PhD level sessions, including "Managing Artificial Intelligence (MG4J8)," "Research Design for Studies of Digital Innovation (MY401)," "Social Computing, Data Analytics, and Information Services (MG486)," "Information Systems and Innovation: Concepts and Perspectives (MG487)," and among others. My teaching excellence has been recognized through nominations for the LSE Student Union's Teaching Award for "Mentoring & Personal Development" and multiple honors as one of LSE's Department of Management's "Top 10 Lecture/Class Teachers."
In addition to research and teaching, I contribute to the broader academic community and my home institution through service roles. I serve on the editorial review boards of Information Systems Research (ISR) and Journal of the Association for Information Systems (JAIS), two of the top three journals (ABS 4*) in the field of information systems. I actively review for leading journals such as Management Science, MIS Quarterly, ISR, JAIS, and JMIS. My contributions extend to major IS and management conferences, where I've served as an associate editor, reviewer, discussant, and session chair for ICIS, WISE, CIST, ECIS, PACIS, AMCIS, HICSS, INFORMS, and AoM Annual Conference.
I won the Best Reviewer Award at ICIS 2019 and Best Associate Editor Awards at ICIS 2022 and ECIS 2023. I am an AIS Distinguished Member and INFORMS Senior Member.
At LSE, I co-chair the Department of Management's Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committee, led initiatives to share best practices, improve communication and visibility, and advise on student-led events. Beyond LSE, I also serve as the External Examiner for the Postgraduate Diploma on AI for Business at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.
Fields of Expertise/Interests
Fields of Expertise/Interests
Topics:
AI/Algorithms/Automation in Business and Society; IT and Policy; Digital Business Strategy; Platform Strategy; Healthcare IS; Future of Work; Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Methods:
Causal Inference; Randomized Controlled Trial; Observational Study; Applied Econometrics; Machine Learning
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Cheng, Z., Dong, Z., & Pang, M.S. (2025). “Automated Enforcement and Traffic Safety,” Management Science. Published Online (15 Apr 2025).
Keywords: Automated Enforcement, Traffic Safety, Deterrence, Event Study
Earlier versions presented at CHITA 2018, CIST 2018, SCECR 2020, WISE 2021, and AI and the Future of Work 2024, as well as University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, University of Rochester, Arizona State University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Florida, University of Georgia, University of Memphis, American University, Hanyang University, Temple University, and Harbin Institute of Technology
Deng, Z., Cheng, Z., Ferreira, P., & Pavlou, P. A. (2025). “From Smartphones to Smart Students: Learning vs. Distraction using Smartphones in the Classroom,” Information Systems Research (accepted for publication).
Keywords: smartphone policy, learning, distraction, attention allocation, academic performance, randomized controlled trial
Early versions presented at CODE@MIT 2016, 2017, 2018, WISE 2018, CIST 2018, SCECR 2018, LSE MG500 Seminar 2019, and UC Berkeley 2019.
Guo, X., Cheng, Z., & Pavlou, P. A. (2024). “Skill-Biased Technical Change, Again? Online Gig Platforms and Local Employment,” Information Systems Research. Published Online (13 Nov 2024).
Keywords: online gig platforms, employment, skill-biased technical change, difference-in-differences, generalized synthetic control
Media coverage: Forbes, LSE Research for the World (4th Anniversary Edition, Economics), LSE News, National Affairs, 每日paper, Information Systems Research LinkedIn
Early versions presented at ICIS 2019, SCECR 2019, CIST 2020 (Best Paper Finalist), LSE MG500 Seminar 2019, and INFORMS Annual Meeting (ISS Cluster Session) 2023.
Cheng, Z., Greenwood, B., & Pavlou, P. A. (2022). “Location-Based Mobile Gaming and Local Depression Trends: A Study of Pokémon Go,” Journal of Management Information Systems, 39(1), 68-101.
Keywords: location-based mobile games, mental health, depression, search query data, natural experiment, difference-in-differences, mobile games, digital games
Media coverage: Newsweek, Yahoo!, Mashable, Nianticlabs, Pokemonblog, Polygon, Gonintendo, TheGamer, Destructoid, Good News Network, WorkplaceWellbeing, 澎湃号, 唧唧堂, LSE News, LSE Research for the World, LSE IQ Podcast
Early versions presented at INFORMS Workshop on Data Science 2018, CHITA 2018, SCECR 2018, Harbin Institute of Technology 2019, and LSE MG500 Seminar 2019.
Cheng, Z., Pang, M. S., & Pavlou, P. A. (2020). “Mitigating Traffic Congestion: The Role of Intelligent Transportation Systems,” Information Systems Research, 31(3), 653-674. (Lead article)
Keywords: intelligent transportation systems, traffic congestion, transportation economics, IT value, difference-in-differences
Media Coverage: U.S. Department of Transportation, ScienceDaily, TechXplore, LSE News
Early versions presented at CIST 2016, ICIS 2016, and Erasmus Energy Forum 2017, Nanyang Technological University 2018, London School of Economics 2019, Erasmus University 2019, and Harbin Institute of Technology 2019.
Cheng, Z., Dimoka, A., & Pavlou, P. A. (2016). “Context May Be King, but Generalizability is the Emperor!” Journal of Information Technology, 31(3), 257-264.
A commentary on the scholarly debate on "Context is King!"
Working Papers
Working Papers
“Information Transparency, Switching Costs, and Customer Churn: Field and Lab Evidence from the Insurance Industry” (with Ting Li, and Paul A. Pavlou)
Under the 2nd Round of Revison, Management Science
Early versions presented at ICIS 2016 (Best Track Paper / Most Innovative Research-in-Progress), INFORMS Annual Meeting 2016, SCECR 2016, Rotterdam School of Management 2017, CIST 2017, WISE 2017, ICSF2024.
“Consent Elicitation Strategy and Customer Segmentation under Privacy Regulation: Evidence from Field Experiments” (with Zherui Yang, and Ting Li)
Major Revision, MIS Quarterly
Early versions presented at ICIS 2019, CIST 2019, CODE@MIT 2019, and WISE 2022.
“Initial Communication Media, Sustained Patient Engagement, and Health Outcomes: Evidence from an Online Mental Healthcare Platform” (with Weiwei Sun, and Xitong Guo)
Early versions presented at ICIS 2021, CSWIM 2021 (Best Paper Finalist), SCECR 2021, PACIS 2021, HITS 2022, Sun Yat-sen University 2023, South China University of Technology 2024.
Selected Work-in-Progress
Selected Work-in-Progress
“Evolution of Data and AI Innovation amid Privacy Regulation: Evidence from the CCPA” (with Susanne Klausing)
Early versions presented at Digital Economy Workshop 2025, AI Plus Management Doctoral Consortium (UCL, 2025), ECIS 2025, SCECR 2025, MISQ Paper Development Workshop (scheduled)
“E-Commerce Live Streaming by Government Officials and Local Entrepreneurship: Evidence from Poverty-stricken Counties in China” (with Xiaoye Li, Jiancheng Wang, and Rongwei Ren)
Early version presented at CSWIM 2024, CIST 2023, ECIS 2023 (Best Research-in-Progress, 1st Runner Up), LSE MG500 Seminar 2023
“Consumer Heterogeneity and Mobile Ad Effectiveness: Evidence from a Field Experiment” (with Ting Li)
Early version presented at CIST 2022, INFORMS Annual Meeting 2021, WISE 2019, CODE@MIT 2018
"Open Government Data and Healthcare AI Adoption: Evidence from China" (with Guohao Zhu and Ning Zhao)
Teaching
Teaching
Master's Courses
Managing Artificial Intelligence (LSE MG4J8; Spring 2025, Spring 2024, 2023)
Media coverage: LSE leads the way with new AI Management course
Research Design for Studies in Digital Innovation (LSE MY401; Spring 2025, Spring 2024, 2023, 2022, 2020)
Social Computing, Data Analytics, and Information Services (LSE MG486; Spring 2022, 2021)
Information Systems and Innovation: Concepts and Perspectives (LSE MG487; Autumn 2020, 2019)
Ph.D. Courses
Contemporary Digital Innovation Research (LSE MG509 - one session; Autumn 2024)
A Social Sciences Perspective of Academic Research in Management (LSE MG5A1 - one session; Autumn 2024)
Research Traditions and Paradigms in IS and Organizations (LSE MG522 - three quant sessions; Autumn 2021)
Undergraduate Courses
Data Analytics (Temple University MIS2502; Autumn 2018)
Selected Honors & Awards
Selected Honors & Awards
AIS Distinguished Member, Association for Information Systems (AIS), 2024
INFORMS Senior Member, Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS), 2024
Best Research-in-Progress, 1st Runner-Up, ECIS, 2023
Best Paper (Finalist), CSWIM, 2021
Best Paper (Finalist), CIST, 2020
Best Paper in “Human-Computer Interaction” Track, ICIS, 2016
Best Associate Editor Award, ECIS, 2023
Best Associate Editor Award, ICIS, 2022
Best Reviewer Award, ICIS, 2019
Teaching Award (Highly Commended Teacher), Department of Management, LSE, 2024
Annual Contribution Award, for outstanding research, teaching, and service, LSE, 2023
Teaching Award (Honorable Mention Teacher), Department of Management, LSE, 2023
Annual Contribution Award, for outstanding research, teaching, and service, LSE, 2022
Top 10 Teacher Award, Department of Management, LSE, 2021
Student’s Union Teaching Award Nomination, for outstanding “Mentoring & Personal Development,” LSE, 2021
Below are the full names of the conferences/workshops listed above.
AoM: Academy of Management Annual Meeting
CHITA: Conference on Health Information Technology and Analytics
CIST: INFORMS Conference on Information Systems and Technology
CODE@MIT: Conference on Digital Experimentation @ MIT
CSWIM: China Summer Workshop of Information Management
ECIS: European Conference on Information Systems
HITS: Health Information Technology Symposium (SIG-Health Pre-ICIS Workshop)
ICIS: International Conference on Information Systems
ICSF: International Conference on Smart Finance
PACIS: Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems
SCECR: Statistical Challenge in E-commerce Research (or Big Data Conference)
WISE: Workshop on Information Systems and Economics
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