Topic: IS Research Trends: Methodological Diversity

Abstract:

In an era where digital transformation and technological advancement reshape the landscape of Information Systems (IS) research, methodological diversity is increasingly essential for capturing the complexity of contemporary phenomena. This panel brings together four distinguished scholars who exemplify diverse methodological expertise in the IS field: machine learning, modeling, experimentation, and mixed methods. Each panelist will deliver a short presentation reflecting on the methodological trajectory of IS research from their own domain of expertise. They will address emerging challenges, opportunities, and potential integrations between different methods, as well as the implications for theory development, practical impact, and publication strategies. Following the presentations, the panel will open the floor to an interactive Q&A session to engage the audience in critical reflection and forward-looking dialogue. This session aims to (1) explore emerging trends, key opportunities, and persistent challenges within major methodological paradigms in IS research; (2) foster meaningful dialogue and mutual understanding across diverse methodological communities; and (3) encourage future research that integrates rigor, relevance, and methodological innovation to address complex problems in the digital era.

Weiguo (Patrick) Fan is a Henry B. Tippie Excellence Chair Professor in Business Analytics at the University of Iowa. He received his Ph.D. in Business Administration in 2002 from the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. His research interests focus on the design and development of novel information technologies—AI, information retrieval, data mining, text analytics/NLP, social media analytics, business intelligence techniques—to support better business information management and decision making. He pioneered the application of Genetic Programming for search engine ranking optimization, and the application of natural language processing/textual analytics for business applications such as financial statement risk assessment, uncovering product/service quality issues from social media (quality analytics), assessing crowdfunding success from project descriptions, and finding product innovation ideas from user-generated contents. He has published more than 300 refereed journal and conference papers, of which 7 papers are designated as the ESI highly cited papers by Web of Science. His research has been cited more than 20000 times (h-index 69, i10-index 198) as of 4/21/2025 according to Google Scholar. His research has appeared in many premier IT/IS/OM journals, such as MIS Quarterly, Information Systems Research, Journal of Management Information Systems, Productions and Operations Management, INFORMS Journal on Computing, IEEE Transactions on Knowledge and Data Engineering, Information Systems, Information Systems Journal, Communications of the ACM, Information and Management, Journal of the American Society on Information Science and Technology, Information Processing and Management, Decision Support Systems, etc. He frequently consults for Fortune 500 companies and serves as expert panel reviewers for many government and funding agencies.

Juan Feng is Hon Hai chair professor in the Department of Management Science and Engineering, School of Economics and Management & Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University. She holds a B.A. in economics from Renmin University of China, and a PhD in Business Administration from Pennsylvania State University, with a dual title in Operations Research. She serves as Senior Editor for Information Systems Research, Production & Operations Management and E-Commerce Research & Applications. She also serves in the editorial board for JMIS and IJEC. She now serves as vice president of Association for Information Systems (Region 3), and Director of Research Center on Digital Economy (Greater Bay Area), School of Economics & Management Shenzhen Research Institute, Tsinghua University.

Zhenhui (Jack) Jiang is a professor of Innovation and Information Management and the Padma and Hari Harilela Professor in Strategic Information Management at HKU Business School. He formerly served as the Area Head of Innovation and Information Management at HKU. Prior to joining the University of Hong Kong, he was a full professor of Information Systems and Analytics at School of Computing, National University of Singapore (NUS), where he served on the Faculty Promotion and Tenure Committee. Prof. Jiang’s research explores the broad economic and behavioral impacts of cutting-edge information technologies (IT) as well as the effective user interface design of such technologies. His work addresses significant issues in AI, human computer interaction, digital innovation, e-commerce, information privacy, social media, and healthcare. Professor Jiang is currently a Senior Editor for MIS Quarterly and he has also contributed to editorial boards of many leading Information Systems journals such as Journal of AIS (Senior Editor), Information Systems Research (Associate Editor), MIS Quarterly (Associate Editor), IEEE Transactions of Engineering Management. Prof. Jiang’s research is published in premier business journals, such as MIS Quarterly, Information Systems Research, Management Science, and Journal of MIS, as well as in top-tier Computer Science conferences, like CHI.

Huigang Liang is professor and FedEx Chair of Excellence in Information Systems in the Fogelman College of Business and Economics at the University of Memphis. His research focuses on socio-behavioral, managerial, and strategic IT issues at both individual and organizational levels in contexts such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, digital innovation, and healthcare IT. His work has appeared in MIS Quarterly, Information Systems Research, Journal of Management Information Systems, Journal of the Association for Information Systems, MIT Sloan Management Review, among others. He is currently serving as Associate Editor for Information Systems Research and Senior Editor for Journal of the Association for Information Systems. His publications can be viewed at this GoogleScholar page: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=hxUrylgAAAAJ

Panel Moderator

Professor, Associate Dean, Xi’an Jiaotong University

Shan Liu is a professor of the System Behavior and Management Laboratory and associate dean of the School of Management at Xi’an Jiaotong University. His research interests focus on business analytics, AI management, and risk management. He has published more than 80 refereed publications, including papers that have appeared in MIS Quarterly, Journal of Operations Management, PNAS Nexus, among others. He currently serves as an executive editor for Data Science and Management and associate editor for Decision Support Systems and Electronic Commerce Research and Applications. He is the president of the Association for Information Systems special interest group on Information Systems in Asia Pacific (AIS-SIG-ISAP).