Zenan (Alan) Chen

Zenan "Alan" Chen is a final-year Ph.D. candidate in the Information and Decision Sciences department at the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota. His research is centered on the design and societal implications of digital tools, such as large language models (LLMs) and social media blockers. Key areas of his research delve into 1) the impact of technological tools on individual work outcomes, 2) the design considerations of digital platforms at a macro level using analytical modeling, and 3) the societal effects of emerging AI technologies.

A hallmark of Zenan's research approach is the utilization of experimental design combined with software engineering. He has self-developed and deployed software features in experiments to assess their effects, often leveraging fine-grained and unstructured data to capture detailed insights into user behaviors and technological impacts. He has also co-developed software tools and platforms, sharing them openly with the public.

His research contributions are under review at esteemed IS journals, including Management Science and Information Systems Research. He has presented his findings at renowned IS conferences such as CIST, ICIS, and WITS, and has been honored with recognitions like the CIST 2023 Best Student Paper Runner-up, ICIS 2022 Best Track Paper Award, WITS 2022 Best Student Paper Award, the Dean’s Small Grant from the Carlson School of Management, and the highly selective Carlson School of Management Dissertation Fellowship. Beyond his research, Zenan has been actively involved in the academic community, notably as a founding member of MISQ Insider, a platform that provides insights into pivotal IS research.

For more up-to-date information, please visit zenan.ch.