January 23, 2026 | Claire Hall

For Second Consecutive Year, UConn OPIM Professor Wins Prestigious Early Career Award

“As a researcher I want to explore ideas that satisfy my curiosity, push the boundaries of my field forward, and make a difference in my discipline.’’

OPIM Professor Jing Peng, in his office in Storrs, CT (Nathan Oldham / UConn School of Business)

OPIM Professor Jing Peng, in his office in Storrs, CT (Nathan Oldham / UConn School of Business)

OPIM Professor Jing Peng, a prolific researcher who has also recently developed and taught artificial intelligence courses at the School of Business, has been awarded his second promising young scholar award in three years.

Peng is one of five recipients of the 2025 Information Systems Society’s Sandra A. Slaughter Early Career Award, which recognizes faculty on the path to making outstanding intellectual contributions to the information systems discipline.

This is the second year in a row that the international award has been given to a UConn business faculty member. Professor Wei Chen received the honor in 2024.

Peng’s recognition underscores his continued research excellence and growing influence in information systems, building on his previous 2022 Gordon B. Davis Young Scholar Award that highlighted his promise as a leading scholar in the field, said professor Cuihong Li, OPIM Department Head.

“Over the years Jing has produced a strong portfolio of high-impact work on digital platforms, econometrics, and AI-related business phenomena, and his scholarship consistently extends the frontiers of empirical and methodological insight,’’ she said.

“Beyond research, Jing’s contributions to the department are substantial: as PhD coordinator he has been instrumental in strengthening our doctoral program and mentoring our students, and his development and teaching of new AI-focused electives, including offerings in generative AI and AI literacy for our Analytics and Information Management curriculum, reflect his commitment to equipping students with cutting-edge skills for the future,’’ she said.

Pushing Boundaries in the Field

Peng joined UConn in 2016 after earning a Ph.D. in operations, information, and decisions from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. His research interests include e-commerce, digital health, human-AI interaction, and statistical methodology.

“As a researcher I want to explore ideas that satisfy my curiosity, push the boundaries of my field forward, and make a difference in my discipline,’’ he said. “I’m honored to receive this award. I hope it will shine a brighter light on the work we do here at the University of Connecticut.’’

Peng said he is proud to work with colleagues at UConn who also value high-quality research and who support each other in their scholarly pursuits. The OPIM department is well represented in top scholarly journals, with junior UConn faculty achievements frequently highlighted alongside the work of senior faculty from other institutions. The Association for Information Systems, ranks UConn No. 5 worldwide based on publications in the two leading information systems journals, Information Systems Research and MIS Quarterly, from 2022 to 2024, and two OPIM faculty members, Peng and professor Chen Liang, are noted among the Top 20 in the field.

Peng and two co-authors have a forthcoming paper investigating the impact of Generative AI announcements on suppliers, based on evidence from the stock market. He is also working on another paper investigating the opportunities and risks of integrating machine learning into causal inference.