Faculty Spotlight: Amber Xiaoyan Liu, ISA Department
What Class She Teaches: OMIS 115 Predictive Analytics, OMIS 108 Operations Management
Hobbies/Interests: I enjoy keeping some workout routine such as doing Pilates. I like music and singing. Recently I am into learning more about mental health through podcasts.
Biography: I joined Leavey School of Business of Santa Clara University in 2021 after earning my doctoral degree in Operations, Technology, and Information Management at the Johnson School of Management at Cornell University. My research focuses on issues related to (i) socially responsible operations, and (ii) marketplace operations. The first stream of my research provides insights into the societal impact of certain economic policies. The second stream involves developing matching algorithms for online platforms and deploying field experiments. I apply a suite of data-driven methodologies including predictive analytics, causal inference, and field experimentation.
Advice: "The ISA department offers curriculums that are at the intersection of areas like big data and business intelligence. I recommend students to always think of business applications from their learning inside or outside of classroom. Having the mindset of "getting your hands dirty" is also helpful in mastering analytics skills. I also recommend taking group projects seriously. Many classes and some programs in our department offer opportunities to work on a project (e.g., data analytics project) as a group. The reward of working on a group project proactively and collaboratively can be tremendous to a student's future career development."