Our Mission
Education is the cornerstone of AI for Business. Through interdisciplinary courses and experiential learning opportunities made possible by a generous gift from Tao Zhang, WG’02, and Selina Chin, WG’02, we prepare undergraduate and graduate students for the advancing field of AI. Our focus is to help students expand their knowledge and application of machine learning and understand the business and societal implications of AI.
AIB also provides exceptional educational resources for business professionals looking to understand machine learning fundamentals. Tomorrow’s business leaders need to understand where and how to apply AI within the enterprise. AIB bridges the gap between business practitioners and data scientists while also equipping business professionals with strategic frameworks to bring AI to the center of business transformation efforts.
Our programs seek to make the field more inclusive and diverse by attracting curious students and business professionals who have never been exposed to the possibilities of how AI can transform business and society.
Wharton AI for Business was established with the support and partnership of Tao Zhang, WG’02 and Selina Chin, WG’02.
Our Leadership
Kartik Hosanagar
Kartik Hosanagar is the John C. Hower Professor of Technology and Digital Business and a Professor of Marketing at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Kartik’s research work focuses on the digital economy, in particular the impact of analytics and algorithms on consumers and society, Internet media, Internet marketing, and e-commerce.
Kartik serves as a department editor at the journal Management Science and has previously served as a Senior Editor at the journals Information Systems Research and MIS Quarterly. He is a ten-time recipient of MBA or Undergraduate teaching excellence awards at the Wharton School and has been recognized as one of the world’s top 40 business professors under 40. Kartik’s research has received several best paper awards. Kartik cofounded and developed the core IP for Yodle Inc, a venture-backed firm that was acquired by Web.com. Yodle was listed by Inc. Magazine among America’s fastest growing private companies. He has served on the advisory boards of Milo (acq. by eBay) and is involved with many other startups as either an investor or board member. His past consulting and executive education clients include Google, American Express, Citi and others. Kartik was a co-host of the SiriusXM show The Digital Hour.
Kartik graduated at the top of his class with a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering and a Masters in Information Systems from Birla Institute of Technology and Sciences (BITS, Pilani), India, and he has an MPhil in Management Science and a PhD in Management Science and Information Systems from Carnegie Mellon University.
Outside of Wharton, he likes to make short films and work on and with startups.
Contact Kartik at kartikh@wharton.upenn.edu.
John C. Hower Professor
Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions
Faculty Lead, AI for Business
Mary Purk
As the Executive Director of AI for Business, Mary Purk leads initiatives in academic research, student curriculum, and thought leadership to advance the application of cutting-edge artificial intelligence methods. Ms. Purk is also the Executive Director of Wharton Customer Analytics.
Ms. Purk has held other principal roles at Nielsen and IRI developing and implementing enterprise-wide analytic platforms focused on customers and brand equity. Her expertise includes forecast models, consumer segmentation, marketing mix models, product assortments, pricing, and digital strategies.
Other work experience includes leading the Retail Research Center at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and consulting roles with Accenture and AT Kearney.
Ms. Purk is a proud MBA alumnus of the University of Chicago Booth and the University of Illinois. Ms. Purk has designed and instructed executive education courses, presented at numerous conferences, and published papers in the Journal of Marketing and Journal of Retailing.
Contact Mary at marypurk@wharton.upenn.edu.
Executive Director, AI for Business
Executive Director, Wharton Customer Analytics
Our Team
Matthew Gray
At Wharton AI for Business, Matt leads the initiative’s business operations including financial, HR, and administrative matters. Additionally, Matt oversees student experiential learning programs in AI to solve business problems. Matt develops and manages datathons, workshops, analytics challenges, and competitions with corporate partners using real-world datasets. Matt is AIB’s liaison to Penn and Wharton student organizations that focus on analytics, data science, AI, and marketing. Prior to coming to The Wharton School, Matt worked in admissions and marketing communications at several Philadelphia-area universities.
Contact Matt at mattgray@wharton.upenn.edu
Senior Associate Director, Operations
Maddie Lasser
Maddie Lasser is the Coordinator of Student Engagement and Events at AI for Business. Maddie manages logistics for a portfolio of events for students, industry professionals, and alumni. Additionally, Maddie develops and manages student programs including the Analytics Accelerator and datathons, as well as AIB’s relationships with student organizations. Maddie comes from an event planning background, with professional experience working for the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Terrain at Styers. Maddie holds a B.A. in Business Management from Goucher College.
Contact Maddie at mmlasser@wharton.upenn.edu.
Coordinator of Student Engagement and Events
Jillian Rogers
As the Associate Director of Marketing and Communications for AI for Business, Jillian Rogers develops and delivers engaging content to AIB’s corporate, academic, and student constituents. Her responsibilities span AIB’s website, events and programming promotion, media relations, social media, email marketing, and branding. She cultivated her communication, organizational, and project management skills at Wharton External Affairs, La Salle University, and previous positions in healthcare and retail.
Contact Jillian at rjill@wharton.upenn.edu.
Associate Director of Marketing and Communications
Nicole Wang-Trexler
Nicole Wang-Trexler, Ph.D. is the Associate Director of Data Science and Research for AI for Business. She supports the design, scope, and execution of experiential learning and research projects. Nicole holds a dual titled Ph.D. in Learning, Design, and Technology and Comparative International Education from the Pennsylvania State University, and an MS.Ed. from the University of Pennsylvania. She has 10 years of research experience in data analytics across different fields. She is also the founder of Penn Alumni Club of Central PA.
Contact Nicole at nicolewt@wharton.upenn.edu.