Joy (Zhao) Zheng

Ph.D. Candidate in Management (Entrepreneurship)

I’m on the 2026–27 academic job market.

I study how emerging technologies — AI in particular — reshape the production, distribution, and valuation of creative work through the lenses of creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship, and organization theory. My research is grounded in deep, ongoing relationships with entrepreneurs and practitioners in the industries I study. Before academia, I worked in the film industry (2014–2018) as a special-effects producer and entrepreneur.

Research interests

AI & Organizing

How organizations become AI-native: how startups are built around AI from day one, and how established firms reorganize as the technology matures.

Innovation in Creative Industries

How technological change drives innovation in creative fields — how novel work is produced, judged, and valued, and how creative teams adapt.

Entrepreneurship & Strategy

How entrepreneurs adapt strategy to technological shifts — and the new business models emerging in the AI era.

Curriculum Vitae

View my CV →

Initiatives

AI + Entrepreneurship Wiki (beta) Knowledge base

A structured, source-backed knowledge base of AI products, companies, incumbents, institutions, and incidents shaping the post-AI entrepreneurship era.

AI-Native Academic Tools & practice

How I use AI to do research, and the AI-native tools I built — starter kits, templates, and the working practices behind them.

All initiatives →