Warrington faculty named UF Research Foundation Professor

Dr. Liangfei Qiu, PricewaterhouseCoopers Professor at the Warrington College of Business, is one of 34 faculty members at the University of Florida to be named a UF Research Foundation (UFRF) Professor for 2023.

The recognition goes to faculty who have a distinguished current record of research and a strong research agenda that is likely to lead to continuing distinction in their fields. After being nominated by their department chairs, UFRF Professors are recommended by their college deans based on a personal statement and an evaluation of their recent research accomplishments as evidenced by publication in scholarly journals, external funding, honors and awards, development of intellectual property and other measures appropriate to their field of expertise.

“I am deeply honored and immensely grateful for this recognition,” Qiu said. “I extend my sincere gratitude to my department and college for their support. This award symbolizes a significant milestone in my academic journey, serving as a powerful motivator to continue advancing in my areas of expertise.

“Moreover, it instills in me a profound sense of responsibility to further elevate my research efforts to meet the lofty expectations tied to this distinguished title.”

Qiu’s research on social technologies significantly impacts academic literature and has inspired scholars around the world. In his work, he focuses on the role of information technology and digitalization in the development of innovative business models, with an emphasis on social, platform and telecommunications technologies, and has also developed a new theory that assesses interactions on social networks.

“Traditionally, researchers have assumed that prediction market participants are isolated and do not exchange information,” he said. “However, with the advent of information technologies and social media, information exchange has become ubiquitous. My work challenges this long-held assumption, examining the impact of social networks on prediction markets using both analytical and empirical models.”

Currently in his research, Qiu is quantifying changes in the knowledge provided by users when interacting with generative Artificial Intelligence, such as ChatGPT. His research will help owners and managers of knowledge platforms like Stack Overflow make informed decisions when considering the integration of generative AI into their platforms.

For his contributions to the field, Qiu has already been honored with the INFORMS Information Systems Society Sandy Slaughter Early Career Award and the Association for Information Systems Early Career Award. Now, the three-year UFRF Professorship award recognizes his work with an annual $5,000 salary supplement and a one-time $3,000 grant. The award is funded from the university’s share of royalty and licensing income on UF intellectual property, retained indirect costs from certain corporate contracts and grants and investment income.