Big XII + MIS Research Symposium
The Operations, Business Analytics, and Information Systems Department in the Carl H. Lindner College of Business at the University of Cincinnati is proud to host the 21st Big XII + MIS Research Symposium from April 17-19, 2026.
The Big XII+ MIS Research Symposium was established in 2003 to create an informal setting for information systems and business analytics faculty and PhD students to exchange research ideas. The Symposium provides a platform for scholars to showcase their research in areas such as management issues and applications of artificial intelligence, deep machine-learning, and text-mining, data analytics, behavioral economics, technical/analytical work and interdisciplinary theories.
Paper Presentations
Participating schools may nominate two paper presentations for the Symposium. Priority will be given to doctoral students or junior faculty.
Each school/group’s representative faculty should email the title, presenter (and coauthor, if necessary) information to Big12MIS@uc.edu.
Registration
Registration for the 21st annual Big XII + MIS Research Symposium is open.
Please email Big12MIS@uc.edu with questions.
Agenda
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 4-8 p.m. | Check in |
| 6-8 p.m. | Cocktail hour with light hors d’oeuvres |
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 7:30-8:30 a.m. | Breakfast |
| 8:30-8:45 a.m. | Welcome Remarks |
| 8:45-9:30 a.m. | Industry Roundtable |
| 9:30-10:30 a.m. | Editor Panel |
| 10:30-10:45 a.m. | Break |
| 10:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Session 1: Virtual Teamwork, Empowerment, and Engagement (Track A); Online Communities and Digital Platforms (Track B) |
| 12:30-1:20 p.m. | Lunch |
| 1:20-2:20 p.m. | Keynote Speaker: Nate Sowder, Cintrifuse & Dayton Entrepreneurial Center |
| 2:20-2:35 p.m. | Break |
| 2:35-4:20 p.m. | Session 2: Privacy (Track A); Information Security (Track B) |
| 4:20-4:35 p.m. | Break |
| 4:35-5:45 p.m. | Session 3: Healthcare (Track A); Technology Augmentation and Wearables (Track B) |
| 6-9 p.m. | Dinner and Reception Event at the Graduate Hotel |
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 7:30-8:30 a.m. | Breakfast |
| 8:30-9:45 a.m. | Session 4: Financial Services (Track A); AI, Analytics, and Decision-Making (Track B) |
| 9:45-10 a.m. | Break |
| 10-11:15 a.m. | Session 5: Digital Innovation (Track A); Economic and Societal Impacts of Digital Technologies (Track B) |
| 11:15-11:30 a.m. | Break |
| 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Concluding Remarks and Lunch |
Keynote Speaker
Nate Sowder works at the friction point between large organizations and the startup ecosystem — helping enterprises make better decisions about innovation and helping founders understand how to work with the companies that need them most.
As an Executive-in-Residence with Cintrifuse and the Dayton Entrepreneurial Center, Nate mentors early-stage companies, connects emerging technologies to real enterprise problems, and has spent years doing the unglamorous work of translating between two worlds that rarely speak the same language.
Before joining the ecosystem, Nate founded OrigamiMade and later built his practice around a simple observation: Organizations rarely struggle because they lack big ideas. More often, they're stuck because they've framed the wrong problem.
Nate's keynote takes that lens directly to AI. As intelligent tools make plausible answers instantly available on nearly any question, a new professional risk is emerging: people who always accept the first answer never build the reasoning behind it. Nate argues that AI has become the first professional tool that reveals, with uncomfortable clarity, how well — or how shallowly — someone thinks. He writes on these themes and others for UX Collective where he is the creator of unquoted, an independent publication examining how emerging technologies reshape decision-making, innovation and organizational strategy.
Editor Panel & Industry Roundtable Speakers
- Daniel Chen, PhD, Randall W. and Sandra Ferguson Endowed Professor, Department of Information Systems and Business Analytics, Hankamer School of Business, Baylor University
- Heshan Sun, PhD, Richard Van Horn Professor of IT and Analytics, Management Information Systems Department, Price College of Business, University of Oklahoma
- Kyle Burkholder, Partner, Grant Thorton
- Akhil Mahajan, Data and AI Leader, Proctor & Gamble
- Hailwong Wang, Director of Analytics and Head of the Model Risk Management Innovation Lab, Fifth Third Bank
Hotel & Travel Information
A block of rooms has been reserved at a discounted rate at the Graduate Hotel, located on UC’s campus.
Symposium events will be held at the Carl H. Lindner Hall, which is a brief drive and less than a 15-minute walk from Graduate Hotel. The reception on Saturday evening will be in the Graduate Hotel ballroom.
Symposium Contacts
General Questions
Andrew Harrison, PhD
Symposium Host; Associate Dean, Graduate Programs; Associate Professor of Information Systems
Sachin Modi, PhD
Professor; Department Head, Operations, Business Analytics, and Information Systems