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My name is Zhikun Lu. I am a PhD candidate in Business (Operations Management track, STEM certified) from Goizueta Business School, Emory University. My research focuses on causality-driven decision making (CDDM) with applications to digital platform operations, utilizing techniques from causal inference, machine learning, and optimization. During my PhD, I have collaborated with leading tech companies, including Alibaba, Amazon, and Tencent, developing identify-then-optimize (ITP) models to enhance various business outcomes, such as sales, customer lifetime value, and user engagement. I am passionate about discovering innovative ideas, mastering new skills, and applying them to address real-world business challenges.
Research
Published Paper
- Ruomeng Cui, Zhikun Lu, Tianshu Sun, and Joe Golden (2024) “Sooner or Later? Promising Delivery Speed in Online Retail.” Manufacturing & Service Operations Management
– Finalist, 2023 MSOM Student Paper Competition
– Best Paper in Track Award, 2021 International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS) - Fohlin, Caroline, and Zhikun Lu (2021) “How Contagious Was the Panic of 1907? New Evidence from Trust Company Stocks.” AEA Papers and Proceedings, vol. 111, pp. 514-19.
Working Paper
- “The Value of Last-mile Delivery in Online Retail” with Ruomeng Cui, Tianshu Sun, and Lixia Wu, major revision at Management Science
– Finalist, 2024 POMS College of Supply Chain Management Student Paper Competition - “Short Sale Bans May Improve Market Quality During Crises: New Evidence from the 2020 Covid Crash” with Caroline Fohlin and Nan Zhou, under revision
- “Preferential Credit Policy with Sectoral Markup Heterogeneity” with Kaiji Chen, Yuxuan Huang, Xuewen Liu, and Yong Wang, under revision