Yiyao Zhou is a Ph.D. candidate in Operations and Technology at UCL School of Management. Before starting her PhD, she holds an MRes in Management with Distinction from UCL (2020), an MA in Economics from Remin University of China (2019) and a BA in Economics from Southwestern University of Finance and Economics (2017). She will be on the job market in 2024 Fall.

Benefiting from her Economics background, Yiyao is passionate about applying econometrics and causal inference to empirical research in operations management. Her research focuses on technology and innovation, specifically exploring how emerging technologies—such as robotics, automation, and artificial intelligence—affect firms’ innovation performance and operational processes. She is particularly interested in the potential limitations brought by robots and AI. Her job market paper demonstrates that robot adoption can hinder process innovation in manufacturing firms through reducing human involvement.

In her daily life, Yiyao enjoys cooking, traveling and photography.