The Digital Data Design Institute at Harvard (D^3) recently introduced a number of external association programs to further the network effect of the Institute. These new groups, labeled as Associates, Affiliates, Industry Fellows, and Visitors, aim to both extend the research capacity of the work of the Institute and recognize the work of partners on and off campus who have not previously had a direct connection to the Institute.
Positioned at the crossroads of research and industry collaboration, D^3 is a cornerstone, uniting multidisciplinary faculty researchers with industry leaders to drive impactful AI research. These new programs serve as crucial intermediaries to foster deeper connections among faculty members, enterprises, practitioners, and external ideas and innovations. This network enables the Institute to be at the forefront of the quickly evolving landscape of AI and business.
Karim LakhaniKarim R. Lakhani
Faculty Chair at the Digital Data Design Institute at Harvard, and Dorothy and Michael Hintze
Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School.
The Associates Program is dedicated to promoting rapid and impactful research results with real-world relevance of research into how AI and digital technologies are reshaping companies, organizations, society and practice. It aims to achieve this by engaging with the broader Harvard research community and partners in industry and government. The program offers financial support for both new and ongoing research projects, providing one-year awards starting at $50,000.
Projects with a collection of interdisciplinary faculty across schools are highly encouraged, especially collaborations that involve at least one faculty member from Harvard Business School. All groups must have at least one Harvard-affiliated faculty member.
The Affiliates program is open to Harvard and Harvard Business School faculty who engage in specific activities with the Institute. Affiliates are faculty who may collaborate closely with D^3 Labs on research projects, participate or speak at academic events, and/or coauthor with D^3 Lab members. The 2024-25 cohort of D^3 Affiliates is being finalized and will be announced at a later date.
The Industry Fellows program is open to non-Harvard-affiliated academics or industry members who engage in specific activities with labs at the Institute. Industry Fellows are typically involved through advising or collaborating on research projects, or speaking at Institute conferences and other events.
Below is the initial cohort of D^3 Industry Fellows for the 2024-25 academic year:
- Jeff Goldman
- Vice President, Enterprise Data Science at Procter & Gamble
- Van McCormick
- Founding Director, International Economic Alliance
- Craig Marris – Core Advisor in the AI Startup Lab
- Co-Founder, Coretex, an EROAD Company
- Chief Sustainability Officer, EROAD
- Executive Vice President, General Transportation and Cold Chain, EROAD
- Dean Marris – Core Advisor in the AI Startup Lab
- Co-Founder, Coretex, an EROAD Company
- Chief Data Scientist Officer & Executive Vice President, Construction, EROAD
- Harmjan Mens
- Global Fabric Care Finance, Strategy & Innovation Manager, Procter & Gamble
- Sabine Metzger
- R&D Senior Director, Research Fellow, Modeling & Simulation, AI and Data Science at Procter & Gamble
- Hari Nair
- Vice President, R&D, Global Packaging, Fabric & Home Care and Corporate R&D at Procter & Gamble
- Stew Taub
- Vice President R&D, Global Feminine Care and Corporate R&D at Procter & Gamble
The Visitors Program is meant to expand faculty research and capabilities by extending short-term visitor appointments for research collaborations with Institute Labs and Principal Investigators. This program promotes porous boundaries for the Institute with academic colleagues and practitioners around the world to ensure that top minds are working collaboratively to solve high-impact research problems. Graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty from other universities can take advantage of this program through the Visiting Researcher or Visiting Scholar title, while senior practitioners from industry are Executive Fellows.
The Visitors Program is primarily a lab-focused model and therefore the cohort fluctuates based on lab interests, projects, and activities.
About Digital Data Design Institute at Harvard:
The Digital Data Design Institute at Harvard (D^3) provides research-driven insights, accessible to anyone in the world, on using AI and digital technologies to advance business and society. Emerging from Harvard Business School under the leadership of Dean Srikant Datar and founded on the premise that AI technology is only half of the answer and that businesses must also revamp their processes to harness AI’s potential, D^3 is made up of a global network of multidisciplinary faculty, researchers and scientists, business leaders, and entrepreneurs. D^3 consists of numerous research labs and focuses on five themes: Human-Centered Technology, Emerging AI-based Operating and Business Models, Evolution of Business Technology, Future of Work, and Data Privacy Security and Regulations.