Chaofan Zhai

I am a Ph.D. Candidate in Information & Decision Sciences at the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota. My advisor is Professor Ravi Bapna.

I study AI-enabled decision-making from both a "how" perspective and a "what" perspective:

• Algorithmic Design ("How"): I develop and deploy innovative deep learning algorithms to address real-world challenges, such as learning design in online education, human-AI collaboration design in Generative AI contexts, and matching design in multi-stakeholder marketplaces.
• Economic Impact("What"): I use field and online experiments to rigorously measure the real-world impact of these AI designs on individual decision quality and platform economic outcomes.

My passion is conducting research that has a real impact on supporting individual and organizational decision-making.

HONORS AND AWARDS

• The Winner of WITS Best Dissertation Award (Dec 2024)
  • Dissertation: "Three Essays on Overcoming Cognitive Frictions in Online Education"
• Selected Fellow for 2024 ICIS Doctoral Consortium (Aug 2024)
• Carlson School Dissertation Fellowship ($32,000) (April 2024)
• Dean's Small Grant for Research ($10,000) (Nov 2023)
• Carlson School of Management Ph.D. Student Teaching Award (August 2023)
• Ph.D. Student Conference/Travel Fellowship (2020 – Now)
• Carlson and Willoughby IDS Ph.D. Fellowship (2020 – Now)
• Ph.D. Student Summer Research Fellowship (2020 – Now)