Dr. Zhiqiang (Eric) Zheng, Ashbel Smith Professor in the Naveen Jindal School of Management’s Information Systems Area, has won an award reserved for academics who are considered the elite of the information systems discipline.
Zheng was one of the winners of the Information Systems Society’s 2024 ISS Distinguished Fellow Award. In doing so, he has joined an illustrious list of JSOM faculty members who have won the award, including Dr. Hasan Pirkul, Caruth Chair and Jindal School dean who won in 2012; and Drs. Vijay Mookerjee and Sumit Sarkar, both Charles and Nancy Davidson Chairs and professors in the IS Area, who won in 2011 and 213, respectively.
“Receiving the ISS Distinguished Fellow Award is an immense privilege for me, both personally and professionally,” Zheng said. “UT Dallas is one of the few institutions with multiple recipients of this prestigious recognition, and being mentioned alongside such distinguished scholars and pioneers of the information systems field is truly an honor. This award not only is a recognition of the impact of my work but also serves as a source of inspiration, motivating me to further explore fundamental research challenges and advance the field.”
According to the award’s website, recognition focuses on intellectual contributions made by the recipient to the field in multiple dimensions — publications that have made a significant impact on theory, research, and practice; intellectual leadership in the discipline as reflected in editorial appointments, particularly of INFORMS journals; and intellectual stewardship of the field as reflected in the mentoring of doctoral students and young researchers.
Zheng said he is particularly proud of his strong record of productivity in academic research devoted to the IS field.
“I have always sought to introduce innovative approaches in my research,” he said.
Zheng was among the first to identify the business challenges and research opportunities within sponsored search and he made early contributions to the field of health analytics. He also has played a leading role in the areas of FinTech and blockchain. He has published a textbook — Blockchain Principles, Techniques, and Applications — which he said reflects his ongoing commitment to advancing knowledge in emerging technologies.
Among the publications he thinks have had the most significant impact on the theory, research, or practice of information systems is “Blockchain Enabled Data Sharing for Supply Chains”, a study about designing the next generation of blockchain-enabled data marketplaces.
“It is one of the first to address the increasingly critical issue of data trading,” he said. “Its insights have been well-cited in both academic and industry discussions. Additionally, a paper detailing my research on predictive analytics for patient readmission — Predictive Analytics for Readmission of Patients — has been widely cited and has had a substantial practical impact, with several healthcare systems implementing its method to improve patient outcomes.”
Both contributions, Zheng said, have advanced the theoretical understanding and practical applications of information systems in their respective fields.
Zheng said his approach to mentoring PhD students in the Jindal School focuses on fostering intellectual curiosity, developing solid methodological skills and addressing fundamental research questions.
“I have had the privilege of advising and mentoring 12 PhD students at JSOM, several of whom have gone on to work at great institutions such as the University of Washington, the University of Arizona, Penn State, Iowa State, UT Arlington and Temple University,” he said. “I take great pride in supporting their growth both academically and professionally, helping them reach their full potential.”
Zheng has held several leadership roles that have contributed to his recognition as a Distinguished Fellow. From 2017 to 2023, he served as a senior editor for Information Systems Research (ISR), and since 2024, he has been a senior editor for MIS Quarterly. Both journals are tracked in the UTD Top 100 Business School Research Rankings™. In 2017, he founded the INFORMS Workshop on Data Science, which has become an important platform in the field. He also chaired the Workshop on Information Technology and Systems in 2022.
Throughout his 20-year academic career, Zheng said he has witnessed the continuous evolution of the IS discipline. In the early years, before 2010, research predominantly focused on understanding the impact of IT and the behavioral aspects of IT usage. From 2010 to 2020, empirical research utilizing econometric analysis to help researchers turn data into meaningful insights became a central theme. In recent years, with the rise of the artificial intelligence revolution, AI has become the focal point of much of the research in the field, Zheng said.
“Given my intrinsic interest in methodology, I have consistently contributed to the advancement of research methods aligned with these evolving trends,” he said. “I have been one of the few IS scholars to contribute to methodological innovations across these three phases. Notably, I published some of the first methodological papers in IS on causal inference, latent growth modeling, active learning, ensemble/mixture of experts, probabilistic mixture models, and stochastic differential equations. These contributions have played a key role in shaping the evolution of methodological approaches within the IS discipline.”
Zheng said that being a faculty member at JSOM has had a profound influence on his work.
“Being a faculty member in the Jindal School has provided me with the opportunity to collaborate with several esteemed colleagues, many of whom are also award recipients, including Vijay Mookerjee, Sumit Sarkar, and my former UTD colleague Indranil Bardhan,” he said. “Their approach to tackling research questions and their clarity in defining problems have served as invaluable mentorship for me. I am truly grateful for the support, guidance, and collaborative environment that has significantly shaped my academic journey.”
Zheng advises early-career scholars who dream of becoming ISS Distinguished Fellows one day to focus on fundamental research questions rather than chasing trends or publication quantity.
“Stay persistent through challenges and setbacks, as breakthrough ideas often take time to develop,” he said. “Quality is more important than quantity — aim for impactful, well-crafted papers that contribute meaningfully to the field. Building a strong academic reputation comes from addressing important issues and consistently producing valuable, thoughtful research.”
Having begun his academic career working in data mining, which was a relatively underexplored area at the time, Zheng had to continuously adapt and refine his research skillsets.
“As a result, there was a brief period of hiatus in publications,” he said. “However, this period allowed me to rethink what is meaningful research and how to embrace new research methodologies.”
Zheng said he is deeply honored to become an ISS Distinguished Fellow and reiterated the importance of pushing boundaries, whether in IS or any other academic field.
“While this field has made great strides, there is still much work to be done, particularly in emerging areas like AI and Blockchain techniques and wherever else innovation can significantly shape the future of our discipline,” he said. “I encourage the ISS community to continue supporting and valuing innovative scholars who are exploring new ideas and methodologies. By embracing diverse and forward-thinking approaches, we can ensure the continued growth and relevance of the field.”
