Hi, welcome to my personal website! My name is Xinzhi Rao (饶莘植, pronounced “Sheen-jr Rao”). I am a Ph.D. candidate at the Warrington College of Business, University of Florida, advised by Dr. Liangfei Qiu (Chair), Dr. Jingchuan Pu (Co-Chair), and Dr. Anuj Kumar.

My research interest sits at the intersection of information systems, platform strategy, and the economics of artificial intelligence. My research comprises two interrelated streams: (1) platform strategy and information design, where I study how complementors’ strategic choices and platforms’ information-provision decisions shape participation, performance, and market outcomes; and (2) the economics of generative AI, where I examine how generative AI reshapes what users contribute on digital platforms and what information consumers receive.

Methodologically, my work involves causal inference with quasi-experimental designs and randomized experiments to understand the causal impacts of platform strategy and generative AI. I also adapt and integrate machine/deep learning and LLM tools for empirical studies.

I am on the 2026–27 academic job market.

Education

• Ph.D. in Business Administration (Information Systems), Warrington College of Business, University of Florida, 2022–present
• M.S. in Statistics, Lehigh University, 2020–2022
• B.A. in Mathematics; B.A. in Economics, University of Colorado Boulder, 2015–2019

You can find my research (with abstracts) here, download my CV (PDF), and reach me at Xinzhi.Rao@warrington.ufl.edu.