2021 Year in Review

Computational Social Science for Business

In September 2021, Computational Social Science (CSS) for Business became AAW’s eighth program. Led by Wharton faculty Ducan Watts and Dean Knox, CSS for Business unites computer science, statistics, and social science to solve challenging real-world problems. The initiative’s growth was made possible by a new leadership gift from Richard Jay Mack, W’89, which supports the expansion of the Penn Media Accountability Project (PennMAP), an interdisciplinary, nonpartisan research project dedicated to enhancing media transparency and accountability. Read more >>

Wharton Professor Dean Knox Receives the Inaugural NOMIS & Science Young Explorer Award

The lack of progress in identifying and addressing the racial disparities in law enforcement stems in part from inconsistent record-keeping and misleading statistical analyses of incomplete data, according to Dean Knox, the winner of the inaugural NOMIS & Science Young Explorer Award. His prize-winning essay illustrates the value of applying new tools and statistical techniques to imperfect data to reveal the extent and severity of racial bias in policing. Full story >>

AI For Business Specialization Launches on Coursera

In November 2021, Wharton Online and Wharton AI for Business (AIB) launched AI for Business, a four-course specialization on Coursera. This course provides an opportunity to hear from top Wharton faculty, including Kartik Hosanagar and Prasanna (Sonny) Tambe, AIB faculty co-leads, and learn how to develop a deployment strategy for machine learning and big data that takes advantage of cutting-edge technologies. Course homepage >>

Prasanna (Sonny) Tambe Joins Wharton AI for Business as Faculty Co-Lead

Wharton AI for Business (AIB) welcomed Prasanna (Sonny) Tambe, associate professor of operations, information and decisions, as the newest member of its senior leadership. Working alongside faculty co-lead Kartik Hosanagar, John C. Hower Professor of Technology and Digital Business and Professor of Marketing, Professor Tambe guides AIB in its mission to help students and professionals expand their knowledge and application of machine learning while understanding the business and societal implications of AI.

Wharton Research Data Services Reaches New Milestones

In 2021, Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS) launched hundreds of unique, WRDS-developed applications, programs, classroom tools, and learning pathways to support instructors, researchers, and librarians. WRDS reached two milestones this year, welcoming its 500th global subscriber and reaching 1,400,000 downloads on SSRN. WRDS at a glance >>

Ileri Akinnola

Women in Data Science @ Penn Conference

The University of Pennsylvania was proud to host the second annual (first virtual) Women in Data Science (WiDS) @ Penn Conference on February 8-12, 2021. Over the course of the week, nearly 500 registrants had access to academic and industry talks, live speaker Q&A sessions, and networking opportunities in the virtual Gather.Town conference space. This year’s theme – This is What a Data Scientist Looks Like – emphasized the diversity of data science, both in subject matter and personnel. A celebrated interdisciplinary event, WiDS @ Penn welcomed academic and industry speakers from across the data science landscape. Full recap >>

How to Leverage AI to Mitigate Risk, Discover Product Innovations, & Measure ROI

In March 2021, Wharton Customer Analytics and AI for Business co-hosted a half-day virtual conference with the Association of National Advertisers to discuss how the latest advances in AI and analytics are helping to incubate innovation, evaluate social listening, and manage marketing assets more efficiently in a time of unprecedented disruption. Wharton professors Raghu Iyengar and Kartik Hosanagar as well as industry experts from leading companies like McDonald’s, PepsiCo, Fox Entertainment, and American Express shared insights into leveraging AI and analytics to mitigate risk, discover product innovations, and measure ROI. Watch sessions >>

8th Annual Wharton People Analytics Conference

The 8th Annual Wharton People Analytics Conference was held on April 16, 2021. Making its fully virtual debut, the flagship event set a new attendance record and featured all-star speakers Ray Dalio, Katie Ledecky, Oris Stuart, and Kara Swisher. Watch your favorite speaker >>

Annual Analytics Conference

In partnership with Analytics at Wharton and AI for Business, Wharton Customer Analytics hosted the Annual Analytics Conference virtually on May 3-7, 2021. Industry leaders – including keynote speaker Jamie Moldafsky, WG’89, chief marketing and communications officer of Nielsen – spoke about the latest trends in business analytics, data science, and AI. More than 540 business professionals, academics, and members of the Penn community registered for this week-long virtual event. Many tuned in for live talks and technical workshops which emphasized that, with the right tools and strategic vision, data-focused professionals can move from siloed analytics to impactful action. Full recap >>

Penn Wharton Budget Model Projects the Economic Effects of President Biden’s $1.9 Trillion COVID Relief Plan

In February 2021, PWBM released an analysis which estimated that three provisions in the Biden COVID relief plan—direct payments, expanding the Child Tax Credit, and expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit—together would cost $595 billion in calendar year 2021, with 99 percent of households in the bottom 80 percent of incomes receiving a benefit. Read more >>

Are Teams or Individuals Better at Getting Work Done?

When it comes to getting work done, two heads are better than one. Except when they aren’t. A new study from Wharton professor of operations, information and decisions Duncan Watts digs into the question of whether it’s better for employees to work in teams or alone — and the answer may be surprising for managers trying to figure out the best way to assign tasks. Read more >>