Liangfei Qiu, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Information Systems
and Operations Management

Warrington College of Business

2023 Awardee

Liangfei Qiu focuses his research on the role of information technology and digitalization in the development ofinnovative business models, with an emphasis on social, platform and telecommunications technologies.

Qiu is a highly accomplished scholar and has been ranked the No. 1 researcher in the world in the number of publications in the top three information systems journals (Information Systems Research, MIS Quarterly and Journal of MIS) for the past five years (2018-2022). His exceptional research record includes 49 peer-reviewed articles published in prestigious academic journals, with 45 of them listed in the Financial Times 50 elite business school journals.

Despite being in the relatively early stages of his career, Qiu’s research on social technologies has already significantly impacted academic literature. In this work, Qiu developed a new theory of the wisdom of crowds that accounts for social interactions on social networks.

“Traditionally, researchers have assumed that prediction market participants are isolated and do not exchange information,” he explained. “However, with the advent of information technologies and social media, information exchange has become ubiquitous. My work challenges this long-held assumption, examining the impact of social networks on prediction markets using both analytical and empirical models.”

Qiu’s innovative approach and out-of-the-box thinking led to pioneering research that has inspired scholars worldwide and laid the groundwork for future investigations into social network-embedded prediction markets. In recognition of his contributions, one of Qiu’s prediction market articles was featured in the INFORMS Editor’s Cut, which is the preeminent collection of industry-focused innovations and applications in advanced analytics.

Qiu’s research is summarized in his recently published book, “Social Media Analytics and Practical Applications: The Change to the Competitive Landscape.” This book highlights how social media can transform competition and offers practical insights into how businesses can leverage social media to improve their competitive strategies.

“This research has advanced our understanding of social network effects on the wisdom of crowds, as well as demonstrated how social media analytics can transform business competition,” Qiu said.