Unleashing the Power of Big Data: Dr. Weiming Zhu’s Research in Operations Management
Dr. Weiming Zhu is an Associate Professor in Innovation Information and Management Department at HKU Business School. He obtained a PhD degree from the University of Maryland. For a period of six years, he worked at IESE Business School in Barcelona.
Dr. Zhu was inspired to become a scholar as both of his parents are professors, making academia feel like a family business. He was inspired by the lifestyle of traveling to different countries, attending conferences, and participating in academic exchanges. HKU Business School’s emphasis on research and impact in the business world as well as its strong connections in the local and international business community make the School an attractive option for Dr. Zhu for his scholarly pursuit.
Dr Zhu’s latest research involves empirical Operations Management in the sharing economy and supply chain finance which use a combination of tools from economic modeling to optimization and big data analytics econometrics to study problems concerning platforms and companies. He has two joint works, one with MIT and the other with a major delivery and bike-sharing platform in China called Meituan. The first research study with MIT focuses on studying the impact of photos on product demand and developing econometric tools to help platforms identify the impact of photos and provide recommendations. The second research study with Meituan aims to help them better relocate and redistribute their bikes around the city in a socially responsible way while fulfilling customer demand and not congesting sidewalks and pedestrian areas.
Dr. Zhu recently finished teaching an analytics course for MBA students and found it to be a fun and engaging experience. The students were dynamic, participative, and interactive, making the course enjoyable.