Our Members | Sustainable Horizons

Our Current Members

Helping our members to thrive through collaboration, innovation, and global engagement

Institute for Insight

The Institute serves as a dynamic hub where students, faculty, and industry partners tackle complex challenges using big data, machine learning, and advanced computational methods. Through its innovation labs and Insight Sprint programs, the Institute delivers practical, impactful research and experiential learning. Led by Dr. Yusen Xia, the Institute is at the forefront of generative AI, multimodal analytics, and socially responsible data innovation.

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Anchored by four specialized labs—Insight, FinTech, Legal Analytics, and Social Media Intelligence—it runs “Insight Sprints,” semester-long applied projects partnered with leading organizations like Mercedes-Benz, Truist, and Cox Media. The institute also champions academic innovation through STEM-designated programs, including the M.S. in Data Science & Analytics and the AI Innovation in Business certificate, reinforcing Robinson’s vision of transformative, data-powered business education.

Applied Data Science, Business Analytics & Industry-Focused Innovation

Visiting Scholar: Interdisciplinary Research & Collaboration in Sustainable Production & Healthcare

Professor Yusen Xia, Director of the Institute for Insight delivered a compelling presentation on interdisciplinary approaches to sustainable consumption and production at events on 23rd July 2024. He also extended an exchange invitation to BRISTT members and signaled his interest in collaborative funding opportunities centered on AI applications in healthcare.

Meta Medium Analytics and Culture Research Group

Led by Dr. Yiran Su, this innovative group at the Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts Amherst explores how consumers interact with brands within digital and virtual environments. Yiran Su brings a strong interdisciplinary background to the role, with an MS in artificial intelligence and expertise spanning sport consumer behavior, branding, and computational research methods.

A standout project employs computer vision to study how female athletes’ social media self-presentation affects audience perceptions—a vital contribution to understanding gender representation and endorsement dynamics in media. This work received support from NASSM research grants and earned the Best Professional Paper Award at the Sport Marketing Association Annual Conference (2021).

Consumer–Brand Interactions in Virtual Spaces & Cultural Analytics

Visiting Scholar & Student Exchange: Responsible Consumption & Innovation

Professor Matthew Thomson (Charles D. Schewe Faculty Fellow, Marketing, UMass Amherst; Associate Editor, Journal of Consumer Psychology) presented a compelling talk on Open Science, with a focus on transparency, reproducibility, and ethical research practices. His team is currently collaborating with BRISTT members and postgraduate researchers to develop rigorously validated outputs that advance responsible consumption.

VIMASS Research Lab

The Value, Innovation, Management and Access in Health Systems (VIMASS) Lab, led by Prof. Francesco Schiavone from University of Naples Parthenope, Italy advances research into sustainable, equitable healthcare systems—emphasizing management performance, ethical care models, and digital innovation such as blockchain. Collaborating with global industry partners like AstraZeneca and Novartis, VIMASS turns academic insights into applied influence. They actively shape the field through publications and international forums like EURAM and the EDEN doctoral seminar on healthcare innovation.

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VIMASS excels in pioneering research on value-based healthcare —a model emphasizing patient outcomes relative to cost. The lab investigates how digital orchestration mechanisms and ecosystem leadership enable coordinated, patient-centered care across complex stakeholder networks.

VIMASS explores the integration of omnichannel strategies—leveraging digital platforms to enable seamless, multi-stakeholder communication and coordination in healthcare settings. Rooted in ecosystem theory, the lab examines how orchestrators can lead digital innovation through modular platforms to support patient programs and service delivery.

Healthcare Innovation, Value-Based Health Management & Access Policy

Co-host EDEN Doctoral Seminar on Healthcare Innovation and Management

Dr. Yichuan Wang, Associate Professor of Digital Marketing at the University of Sheffield, played a key role as faculty in the Blended EDEN Doctoral Seminar on Healthcare Innovation and Management, organized by EIASM and the VIMASS Research Lab in 2022. The seminar was structured as a hybrid program combining online and in-person sessions in Naples, where Wang joined leading scholars to guide doctoral researchers through advanced themes such as healthcare innovation methodologies, value-based management, digital technologies in health, and ecosystem orchestration.

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Applied Artificial Intelligence Lab

Directed by Prof. Yash Raj Shrestha, AAIL focuses on enabling human-AI collaboration within organizations. Through interdisciplinary research at the intersection of AI, management, and social sciences, the lab crafts actionable models to facilitate responsible, scalable AI integration. The work spans applications in healthcare, governance, and beyond, and appears in premier outlets such as Nature Machine Intelligence, Organization Science, Strategic Management Journal, and major AI conferences.

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AAIL develops frameworks to help organizations effectively adopt AI-driven systems while navigating both technical and managerial challenges. Their research brings together perspectives from management science, computer science, medical sciences, and social sciences to design responsible, scalable AI solutions. 

The lab bridges theory and practice. His background includes roles at ETH Zürich and collaborations with top European research institutes. AAIL’s work applies to diverse domains—from healthcare and governance to social computing—and has been featured in leading journals across multiple disciplines.

Human-Centered AI Adoption & Organizational Decision Support Systems

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Engagement Research and Digital Technology Lab

ThDirected by Dr. Babak Taheri and Dr. Courtney Suess, ERDT is at the forefront of exploring how emerging technologies—such as VR, AR, and AI—can be leveraged to better understand and enhance human behavior in hospitality and tourism. Their research offers immersive insights that fuel design innovation and inform the evolution of guest experiences. Actively partnering with both industry and academic peers globally, the lab amplifies the SHIFT Network’s reach in experiential and human-centered research.

Immersive Experience Research & AI-Driven Behavior Insights

The lab uses VR and AR to simulate hospitality environments and study human responses, enabling next-generation service design and experiential innovation. By combining AI with human-centric research methods, ERDT extracts nuanced insights into how guests and visitors interact with digital and physical environments. The lab actively collaborates with industry partners and international researchers to translate technological findings into real-world hospitality enhancements.

Visiting Scholar: Consumer Engagement & AR in Marketing Innovation

Professor Babak Taheri (Texas A&M University), during a research talk on consumer engagement, actively engaged BRISTT members through interactive workshops—especially supporting early-career researchers in kickstarting collaborative projects
As a result of this engagement, Texas A&M University and the Sheffield University Management School have now formed a joint research team. They're currently exploring the innovative use of AR technology in marketing—marking a significant step in cross-institutional collaboration on immersive consumer experiences

Consumer Research Lab

Directed by Professor Billy Sung, the CRL applies cutting-edge biometric techniques—including eye-tracking, facial and physiological analysis, brainwave monitoring, and immersive VR/AR tools—to capture consumer behavior and decision-making as it unfolds. Their insights help optimize product design, advertising effectiveness, and user experience across real-world and digital contexts. The lab’s longstanding partnerships with major brands and its commercialized tools underline its leadership in innovative, applied consumer research.

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Real-Time Biometrics & Immersive Analytics for Consumer Insight

The lab leverages a wide array of technologies—including eye-tracking, facial expression analysis, biometric wristbands, brainwave headsets, and VR/AR systems—to capture consumers’ cognitive, emotional, and physiological responses in real time. Unlike traditional surveys or interviews, CRL's methods analyze consumer reactions frame by frame—enabling insights into packaging design, shopping behavior, digital interface usability, and emotional engagement. Under Professor Billy Sung’s leadership, the lab has partnered with notable organizations like Red Bull, Lotterywest, RAC, and government departments. Their research has been commercialized and supported by over AUD 1.8 million in external funding.

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Our Industrial and NPO Partners