CURRICULUM VITAE | RESEARCH STATEMENT
Google Scholar | SSRN | Linkedin | Twitter | Research Statement (2022)
My research centers on the design of business and technology strategies for large-scale digital platforms and infrastructure. I am particularly interested in digital innovation in technology, science, knowledge, and education-intensive environments, extending beyond more conventional consumer platforms.
Together with my team and collaborators, we have developed and studied platform-based organizational models, supported by robust data science infrastructure and scientific management programs. Our work spans a variety of fields, including multi-sided markets, crowdsourcing, labor matching markets, crowdfunding, university science and education platforms, product innovation platforms, and corporate digital infrastructure.
My approach combines theoretical advancement through detailed data analysis, combined with practical applications. Collaborating closely with industry and public partners, my team of engineers and AI/data scientists focuses on prototyping and scaling innovative solutions. This often involves creating comprehensive data science strategies and integrating large-scale field experiments within operational service platforms. Our efforts not only lead to more effective business models for our partners but also contribute fundamental, basic insights on how the economy and modern organization works.
I am deeply grateful for the generous support of a number of esteemed funders and supporters. This includes the Club Informatique des Grandes Entreprises Françaises, Fulbright Foundation, G.E. Corp., Google, the Kaufmann Foundation, Harvard University, Microsoft, TopCoder, London Management-Lab, the National Bureau of Economic Research, NASA, the Paris Chamber of Commerce, the Sloan Foundation, D'Amore McKim School of Business, Northeastern Honors Program, and the Research Institute for Experiential Learning Science.
Building on a robust foundation of real-world experience and academic rigor, I have made contributions to the fields of Strategy, Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Economics. Prior to my doctoral studies, I worked as a research engineer and business executive within platform industries. This practical grounding has been crucial to my theoretical work. My empirical work extends to methodological innovations as well, employing field experiments in platform settings—a testament to my belief in 'Pasteur's Quadrant,' where practical application meets theoretical advancement. Beyond the theoretical, my leadership in the creation of the IoT Open Innovation Lab and as Chief Economist at the NASA Tournament Lab underlines my commitment to operationalizing research insights. These are examples of symbiosis of academia and industry--and a new model for research that can be carried out by business schools.
In the classroom, I leverage my research insights to provide students with frameworks and tools tested by rigorous research, equipping them to lead in a landscape continuously reshaped by rapid technological advancement.
Scaling and Optimizing Innovation on Platforms & Digital Infrastructure
Organizing Science & Universities as Knowledge Platforms
Leading Teams of Engineers & Data Scientists to Prototype Experimental Platform Capabilities at Scale
Kevin Boudreau. PhD, Behavior & Policy Sciences (MIT), MA Economics (Toronto), BASc Engineering (Waterloo)
PRIMARY AFFILIATION: Northeastern University, D'Amore McKim School of Business
OTHER AFFILIATIONS: National Bureau of Economic Research: Productivity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship; Harvard Institute for Quantitative Social Science; Khoury College of Computer Science; College of Social Science and Humanities, Institute for the Wireless Internet of Things; previously at LBS, HBS (visiting); HEC-Paris
EDITORIAL RESPONSIBILITIES: Associate Editor in multiple departments of Management Science; Editorial board of the Strategic Management Journal; review for range of other journals in Business Strategy, Innovation, and Management, Economics and Social Sciences, Sciences and Engineering, Information Systems and Operations
TEACHING: Business Strategy, Management of Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Technology Strategy; Digital Business Models and Platform Design; Empirical Research Methods (MBA, Doctoral, Executive, and undergrad courses taught to multiple disciplines)
FORMER INDUSTRY POSITIONS: Chief Economist, NASA Tournament Lab; President, Babbage Data Analytics & Innovation; M&A In-Country Program Manager, Qualcomm Latin America; Director of European Research and Advisory, The Economist Intelligence Unit; Strategy Consultant, Deloitte Consulting (Americas); Engineer, Canadian Space Agency; Bell Northern Research Experimental Researcher, Nortel Statistical Production Control Engineer; various advisory roles.
ACTIVE PROJECTS TO COMPLETE
Attention, crowdsourcing, online labor experiment w/ Elizabeth Lyons
AI and platform labor markets experiment, w/ Sarah Bana
Responses to competition in contests & tournaments experiment, w/ Michael Menietti, Karim Lakhani
AI and Science w/ Zhara Rasouli, Fabrizio Dell'Acqua, Marc Antonio Awada, Karim Lakhani
Educating applied scientists & engineers and Retention in the STEM workforce w/ Matt Marx
Diversity and innovation experiment, w/ Nilam Kaushik
Interdisciplinary science field experiment, w/ Ina Ganguli
Market structure and innovation on digital marketplaces
Non-pecuniary motivations & the organization of online platform work
PUBLISHED/DOWNLOADS:
Boudreau, Kevin J., Lars Bo Jeppesen, and Milan Miric. "Free (mium) strategies for digital goods." In Research Handbook on Digital Strategy, pp. 126-141. Edward Elgar Publishing, 2023.
Boudreau, K., N. Kaushik. (2023) Gender Differences in Response to Competitive Organization? Differences across Fields from a Product Development Platform Field Experiment Organization Science.
Boudreau, K, L. Jeppesen, M.Miric (2022) "Profiting from Digital Innovation: Patents, Copyright and Performance." Research Policy
Boudreau, K, L. Jeppesen, M.Miric (2022) "Competing on Freemium: Digital Competition with Network Effects" Strategic Management Journal. (preprint)
Boudreau, K. (2021) "Promoting Platform Takeoff and Self-Fulfilling Expectations: Field Experimental Evidence."Management Science.
Boudreau, K., L. Jeppesen, T. Reichstein, F. Rullani, (2021) "Crowdfunding as Donations to Entrepreneurial Firms." Research Policy
Boudreau, K., N. Kaushik (2020) "The Gender Gap in Tech & Competitive Work Environments? Field Experimental Evidence from an Internet-of-Things Platform" NBER Working Paper No. 27154
Boudreau, K. J., & M. Marx (2019). From Theory to Practice: Field Experimental Evidence on Early Exposure of Engineering Majors to Professional Work NBER Working Paper No. w26013.
Miric, M., K. Boudreau, L. Jeppesen (2019). "Protecting their digital assets: The use of formal & informal appropriability strategies by App developers". Research Policy
Boudreau, K. (2018) "“Crowds” of Amateurs & Professional Entrepreneurs in Marketplaces". NBER Working Paper No. 24512.
Lakhani, K., K. Boudreau, E. Guinan (2018) "Randomized Insights: Field Experiments in Understanding Knowledge Production in the Sciences." Science.
Boudreau, K., T. Brady, I. Ganguli, P. Gaule, E. Guinan, T. Hollenberg, K. Lakhani (2017) "A Field Experiment on Search Costs and the Formation of Scientific Collaborations." Review of Economics and Statistics.
Boudreau, K. (2017). “A Short Guide to Strategy for Entrepreneurs.” Harvard Business Review
Boudreau, K. (2017), "Platform Boundary Choices & Governance: Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Growth in Mobile Computing." Advances in Strategic Management on “Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Platforms. eds. Furman, Gawer, Stern, Silverman.
Boudreau, K., E. Guinan, K. Lakhani, et al. (2016) "Looking Across and Looking Beyond the Knowledge Frontier: Intellectual Distance, Novelty and Resource Allocation in Science". Management Science.
Copeland Best Paper Award, INFORMS Best Paper Award
Boudreau, K., K. Lakhani, M. Menietti. (2016) "Performance Responses To Competition Across Skill-Levels In Rank Order Tournaments: Field Evidence and Implications For Tournament Design." RAND Journal of Economics.
Boudreau, K. (2016). "Designing Your Company: Creating, Delivering, and Capturing Value" Vol 1" Harvard Business School Strategy Unit Working Paper No. 16-131
Boudreau, K., and K. Lakhani (2015) Innovation Experiments: Researching Technical Advance, Knowledge Production and the Design of Supporting Institutions. In Innovation Policy and the Economy. National Bureau of Economic Research, volume 16, edited by Josh Lerner and Scott Stern. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Boudreau, K., K. Lakhani (2014) "'Open' Disclosure of Innovations, Incentives and Follow-on Reuse: Theory on Processes of Cumulative Innovation and a Field Experiment in Computational Biology." Research Policy.
Lakhani, K., K. Boudreau, L. Backstrom, C. Baldwin, P. Loh, E. Lonstein, M. Lydon, A. MacCormack, R. Arnaout and E. Guinan (2013) Prize-based contests can provide solutions to computational biology problems. Nature Biotechnology. 31(2):108
Guinan, E., K. Boudreau, K. Lakhani (2013) "Experiments in Open Innovation at the Harvard Medical School." MIT Sloan Management Review. 54(3): 45-52.
Boudreau, K., L. Jeppesen (2014) "Unpaid Platform Complementors and the Network Effect Mirage". Strategic Management Journal.
Boudreau, K., K. Lakhani (2013) "Using the Crowd as an Innovation Partner." Harvard Business Review. 91(4): 60-69.
Harvard Business Review McKinsey Award Best Paper Award
Boudreau, K. (2012) "Let a Thousand Flowers Bloom? An Early Look at Large Numbers of Software Apps Developers and Patterns of Innovation." `. 23: 1409-1427.
Boudreau, K., N. Lacetera and K. Lakhani (2011) "Incentives and Problem Uncertainty in Innovation Contests: An Empirical Analysis." Management Science. 57(5): 843-863.
Boudreau, K., K. Lakhani (2011) The Confederacy of Heterogeneous Software Organizations and Heterogeneous Developers: Field Experimental Evidence on Sorting and Worker Effort. J. Lerner and S. Stern (eds.), The Rate and Direction of Inventive Activity, 50th Anniversary Volume. National Bureau of Economic Research.
Boudreau, K. (2010) "Open Platform Strategies and Innovation: Granting Access vs. Devolving Control. Management Science. 56(10): 1849-1872
Boudreau, K., A. Hagiu (2009) "Platforms Rules: Multi-sided Platforms as Regulators." A. Gawer, ed. Platforms, Markets and Innovation. Edward Elgar, London.
Boudreau, K., K. Lakhani (2009) "How to Manage Outside Innovation: Competitive Markets or Collaborative Communities?" MIT Sloan Management Review. 50(4): 69-75.
Boudreau (2007) "Does Opening a Platform Stimulate Innovation? The Effect on Systemic and Modular Innovations" MIT Sloan Working Paper.