BiGS Fellows

Examining ways to create effective DEI strategies

In today’s divided nation, Ray plans to advance his research how businesses and other organizations respond to racial disparities, focusing on individual and systemic responses. His work bridges social science with practical recommendations for designing effective diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies.

Understanding peoples' reactions to group-based inequality

As the United States reassesses its legal, political and social commitments to ensuring diversity in business and civil society in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action in June 2023, Onyeador plans to accelerate her research into how people judge and respond to group-based disparities and discrimination. Her research examines how dominant and subordinate group members reason about group-based discrimination and disparities. She aims to leverage her research to bolster understanding of and willingness to address inequality.

The financial economics of sustainability and climate change

As business strives to reduce carbon emissions and transition to clean energy, Gasparini plans to study the financial economics of climate change, focusing on the role of financial regulations in facilitating or hindering the transition to net-zero emissions. He will explore how climate business alliances influence financial institutions’ sustainability initiatives and the implications for market competition.

The political economy of decarbonization

With a focus on studying the politics of clean energy transitions and probing why some economies are moving faster than other, Meckling plans to examine the recent rise of green industrial policy currently shaping markets for low-carbon technologies. He will examine what effective green industrial policy might look like as well as pitfalls such as international conflict to help mobilize effective business investments to create and grow markets for low-carbon technologies.

Creary has been a member of the HBS community since 2007; first as Professor David Thomas's research associate, then as a member of Professor Robin Ely's Gender and Race in Organizations (GRO) group, and finally as a race and diversity expert partner to HBS in the School's ambitious plan to develop and disseminate course material on advancing racial equity in business. She studies the dynamics of inclusion and integration in organizations, such as issues of race, diversity, inclusion, and inequality, and welcomes opportunity to collaborate with other HBS professors.

Turner's research explores how race and racism are built into markets, business systems, and technology. The T.R.A.P. Lab has developed an algorithm audit platform which collects data about the outcome of an algorithm within a particular context, and then assesses its impact on its users. The platform studies facial and emotion recognition and can help uncover the racial bias in algorithms used by social media platforms, which may have coded rules that alter which faces are seen by users.

Chyei Vinluan was a former Postdoctoral Fellow of Business Administration in both the Negotiation, Organizations, and Markets and Organizational Behavior Units at HBS.

As a sociologist and legal scholar, Williams investigates the effectiveness of various legal, policy, and organizational interventions designed to reduce bias and enhance equity and inclusion. While she specializes in workplace and economic inequality, she is interested in exploring the nature and effects of contemporary bias (structural, explicit, implicit) across a range of contexts.

Williams was previously recognized with the 2021 Michael J. Zimmer memorial award, an honor presented annually to a rising scholar in the field of employment and labor law who demonstrates a commitment to community and workplace justice. She was also named a 2022 Gender+ Justice Fellow at Georgetown, a network of scholars engaging in interdisciplinary research related to intersectional issues of gender, racial, and economic justice.

Using AI to ensure an equitable distribution of EV infrastructure

As the United States prioritizes plans for EV infrastructure that facilitates highway travel with fewer emissions than traditional vehicles, Asensio will accelerate his research into whether current policies and incentives might leave some communities behind. With the largest database of electric vehicle charging infrastructure performance worldwide—featuring information such as location, pricing, charging speeds, and consumer reviews—he uses big data and machine learning to reveal strategies for sustainable growth.

Corporate Transitions Toward Zero Net Emissions

As part of the growing movement to slow climate change, companies worldwide are increasingly taking responsibility for the greenhouse gas emissions associated with their economic activity. Glenk will examine questions related to corporate transitions toward zero net emissions. Specific topics include the economics and management of corporate carbon emissions, decarbonization and sustainable energy technologies, and incentives for climate action.

Examining the financial and organizational impacts of delayed climate action on corporations

With significant experience researching corporate net-zero strategies, Hickey plans to investigate the impact of delayed climate action on corporations. Delayed climate action can take various forms, such as an over-reliance on speculative technologies that do not exist yet at scale, or strategies that prioritize short-term solutions with limited long-term climate benefits. These approaches can hinder progress towards achieving net zero emissions and may exacerbate the negative impacts of climate change. He'll focus specifically on the sectors that currently have limited mitigation potential, such as aviation. Hickey believes by demonstrating the financial impact of delayed action, corporations may be more supportive of effective regulation.

A systems-level view of climate change

Having researched the intersection of business and the environment for nearly 30 years, Hoffman plans to look at climate change as a systems breakdown, rather than an environmental issue. Integrating physical, social, and political science into business decision making, Hoffman plans to conduct a systemic examination of how business and business schools can improve their approach to combating climate change, arguing for large-scale action.

The political economy of decarbonization

With a focus on studying the politics of clean energy transitions and probing why some economies are moving faster than other, Meckling plans to examine the recent rise of green industrial policy currently shaping markets for low-carbon technologies. He will examine what effective green industrial policy might look like as well as pitfalls such as international conflict to help mobilize effective business investments to create and grow markets for low-carbon technologies.

The study of climate resilience in developing countries

With 20 years of experience researching water and energy technologies, Meeks plans to examine how the resilience of an electrification technology—specifically, mini grids—can be augmented in rural, remote communities in developing countries, which are disproportionately affected by climate change. Her project in Nepal brings together technology, government, and electric utilities to determine how rural, isolated communities—and their citizens and businesses—can increase the resiliency of their economies as extreme weather events become more common.