Sinan Aral
Sinan Aral is a global authority on business analytics, award-winning scientist, researcher, entrepreneur and venture capitalist. Sinan is David Austin Professor of Management, Marketing, IT, and Data Science at MIT, Director of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy and a Founding Partner at Manifest Capital. At MIT, he is immersed in analyzing patterns of online behavior—from social media platforms to online retail sites. He has helped leading Fortune 500 firms, including Twitter, Yahoo, AirBnB, Jet.com, IBM, Intel, Cisco, Oracle and SAP realize business value from big data analytics, social media and IT investments. He also helps leaders understand the relationship between humans and machines and how artificial intelligence can play a role in advancing innovation. As an advisor and speaker, Sinan teaches organizations how to read and leverage analytics to build business, make better decisions and plan forward. Earlier in his career, he was the Chief Scientist at SocialAmp, one of the first social commerce analytics companies and at Humin, a social platform.
Sinan Aral Professional Experience / Academic History
Professional Experience
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David Austin Professor of Management, Marketing, IT, and Data Science
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Professor
Academic History
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Ph. D., Information Systems
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M.P.P., Information Technology Policy
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M.S.c., Information Systems
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B.A., Political Science
RESEARCH & PUBLICATIONS
His research also explores the effects of social media on a child’s brain, how social media is disrupting society and ways to combat fake news.
His work on public health explores the behavioral patterns related to COVID 19, so policy makers can better be informed when making decisions.
In 2018, his article on the spread of false news online became the second most influential scientific publication of the year in any discipline.
His TED talk on “Protecting Truth in the Age of Misinformation” set the stage for today’s modern solutions to the misinformation crisis.
CURRENT AFFILIATIONS
Advisory Board, Alan Turing Institute
Advisory Board, British National Institute for Data Science
Advisory Board, Center for Responsible Media Technology and Innovation
Advisory Board, C6 Bank
SELECT HONORS & RECOGNITIONS
2018 Excellence in New Communications – Fellows Choice Award
2018 Youngest Ever Recipient of the Herbert Simon Award, Rajk László College
2014 Top 40 Business School Professors Under 40
2012 USA Science and Engineering Festival’s “Nifty Fifty” Scientists
2009 NSF Early Career Development (CAREER) Award