Yifan Yu is an assistant professor for the Department of Information, Risk, and Operations Management at The University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business. His teaching experience includes advanced business data mining, business data analytics, database management, business data communications, and introduction to information systems.

Yu’s research centers on (1) the economics of artificial intelligence and machine learning; (2) business analytics leveraging online unstructured data (i.e., text, images, videos, networks, behavioral sequences); and (3) data analytics to facilitate volunteerism, sustainable operation, and social justice. He applies machine/deep learning, network analysis, econometric/game-theoretical modeling, and experimental methods to tackle questions in these fields. He has published in top journals for information systems professionals (e.g., ISR and MISQ) and received several best paper awards or nominations at the industry’s top conferences (e.g., INFORMS, CIST, and WITS).

Yu has several years of experience as a research analyst and applied scientist for companies such as Amazon and Tencent (WeChat), as well as experience in consulting firms such as BCG, Roland Berger, and Deloitte. He co-founded an online platform company in 2015 and worked as an entrepreneur for two years.

Yu earned a BBA in information management and a master’s in management science from Tsinghua University. He also earned an M.S. in business administration and management and a Ph.D. in information systems, both from the University of Washington.