Biography

I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Information Science at Cornell University. My research focuses on the economic, strategic, and organizational implications of the technologies that are shaping the data economy. My studies combine technology and social science to explore how innovations that allow collecting, analyzing, and using vast amounts of consumer data create economic and social benefits.

Through different projects, I am exploring the economic and technical trade-offs that determine which stakeholders are reaping the gains, or bearing the costs, of the data economy. My ongoing work includes studies on the role of online intermediary platforms in legacy industries, the strategic implications of the use of tracking and analytics in the online advertising industry, the impact of privacy regulations on the availability of free online content, and the role of worker mobility and spinoff entry for the diffusion of innovations in high-tech industries.

Previously, I was a postdoctoral researcher at the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University, working with Prof. Alessandro Acquisti. I received my Ph.D. in Engineering and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University, where I completed the SETChange program. My advisors were Prof. Francisco Veloso and Prof. Steven Klepper. After my graduation, I spent two years in Chile as Executive Director of “The Clover 2030 Engineering Strategy”, a ~US$40 million/6 years strategic initiative, partly funded by the Chilean Government, to promote entrepreneurship and innovation education, applied research, and technology transfer at the School of Engineering of P. Universidad Catolica de Chile (PUC).

Information Systems Project

This is the capstone project course of the Master of Information System Management program at the Heinz College at CMU. As faculty advisor I work with teams of students designing and implementing an information system for an external client.

Carnegie Mellon University (Fall, 2018)

Research, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship

I co-developed this class with other faculty at P. Universidad Catolica de Chile, and faculty from UC Berkeley’s Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology. Students are required to develop a technology based entrepreneurial idea and produce a prototype and pitch for their project. The course finishes up in a competition where winners received seed funding for their projects (~US$7,500/project). In my two semesters teaching this course, several teams of my students went on to win the competition.

Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile (Fall 2015, Spring 2016)

Technology, Policy, and Society

This course was part of the core curriculum of the Master in Energy program at P. Universidad Catolica de Chile. It covered topics on science and technology policy that are relevant to energy professional, and tools for analyzing complex problems in their social, technical, and economic dimensions.

Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile (Fall 2015, Spring 2016)

The Strategy and Management of Technological Innovation

This course is part of the core curriculum of the Master in Engineering & Technology Innovation Managementat CMU. It is case-based method course that covers several different analytical frameworks for studying technology management problems, and for supporting decision-making.

Carnegie Mellon University (Fall 2013, Fall, 2014)

The Clover 2030 Engineering Strategy

The Clover 2030 Engineering Strategy is a strategic plan funded by the Chilean Development Corporation aimed at transforming the school of engineering at two leading universities in Chile into world-class institutions that can become true engines for economic development and public wealth creation in Chile. The plan involves the investment of ~US$40 millions over a six years period in five areas: Engineering education; basic and applied research; international networks; internal governance; and technology transfer. A detailed overview of the project was featured on the September 2016 issue of Prism, the monthly flagship publication of the American Society for Engineering Education.

As executive director I was responsible, in coordination with the dean and vice-dean of the school of engineering, of developing the plan for the project’s activities, coordinating the implementation of the activities committed in the plan, controlling the execution of the budget, and assuring the plan was developed in accordance with the regulations of our funding agency. As faculty of the innovation and entrepreneurship area I was also involved in implementing the activities related to innovation and entrepreneurship education.

• cac555@cornell.edu
• Cornell University, 215 Gates Hall, Ithaca NY 14853