Community

Academic Members of the iRC produce top-tier publications in information and communication technology between and within organizations.

Current Academic Members

• Duy Dao, Assistant Professor - Duy Dao's research spans the economics of software and digital goods. His research on cybersecurity economics is anchored in how price can be leveraged to enhance cybersecurity. Dao also studies how government interventions and policies for cryptocurrency and ransomware not only impact measures such as welfare but also the individual burden on firms and the choices they face to ensure business continuity.
• Angela Duta, Assistant Professor (Teaching) - Angela Duta researches the use of fiction novels in teaching business ethics concepts. The novel is used to build moral analysis and moral judgement capabilities through evaluating the moral soundness of actions and motivations of characters. 
• Catherine Heggerud, Associate Professor (Teaching), Associate Dean (Undergraduate Programs) - Catherine Heggerud's research investigates innovative pedagogical approaches and effective teaching strategies that contribute to enhanced student learning outcomes.  Additionally, she explores the intersection of institutional leadership practices and their impact on academic reputation, focusing on aligning educational quality with institutional global rankings.
• Hooman Hidaji, Assistant Professor - Hooman Hidaji's current research includes data policies such as right to data portability and their implications for users and competition, as well as implications and interactions of investment in IT and cybersecurity in supply chains. In the former, he studies the effects of data policy on consumption of users and viability of competition and entry of new data controllers. In the latter, he studies the spillovers, complementarities, and substitutions among investments in IT in the upstream and downstream.
• Sule Nur Kutlu, Assistant Professor -  Sule Nur Kutlu's research focuses on the economics of information systems, privacy and security, and online information sharing. Her current research interests include third-party information sharing, data protection regulations and technology integrations in online platforms.
• Victoria Mitchell, Associate Professor Emerita - Victoria Mitchell’s research concentrates on the use of Information Technology to enable process change within and across organizations. Her field work targets strategic change and rollout across hospital systems in North America. Her theoretical contributions focused on the organizational impacts of IT. 
• Barrie R. Nault, Professor, Director - iRC, Distinguished Research Professor - BTM - Barrie Nault's research includes how IT affects productivity through transaction costs, and through relationships along the supply chain. He also studies the impact of policies and regulations on the digital economy as well as ownership, incentives, and investment in platforms and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). He has recent work on coalition formation for IT infrastructure and incentives for new energy technology conversion.
• Raymond Patterson, Area Chair - BTM, Professor - Ray Patterson’s research interests include IS, analytics, and quantitative decision and artificial intelligence technologies.  In recent years, he has focused on internet privacy and security, risks associated with supply chains, project management and scheduling, financially incentivized blockchain platforms, detecting fraudulent websites/activity, and impacts of government regulations and platform controls. 
• Vaarun Vijairaghanvan, Assistant Professor -  Vaarun Vijairaghavan studies the impact of technology on firms, the economy and society with the intent to theoretically evaluate the effect of regulation on IT investments, and empirically evaluate the effect of IT investments on productivity. Vijairaghavan uses general form analytical models based in Economics of IS and structural econometric models viewed through the lens of IT productivity. 
• Cam (Cameron) Welsh, Associate Professor (Teaching)
• Jian (Ray) Zhang, Assistant Professor - Ray Zhang’s research examines how decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) affect collaboration, information sharing and revenue distribution. He also examines monetization of subscription services by digital service providers, and how artificial intelligence (AI) copilot and marketing technology affects profitability and competition. Zhang further studies collaboration in mineral supply chains.

Postdoctoral Scholars

• Jun Ma, PhD - Jun Ma’s research programs are designed to enhance understanding and problem-solving in supply chain management, decentralized autonomous organizations, and platform competition. One program focuses on the production planning and scheduling of mining supply chains. Another program investigates the impact of different sharing incentives in decentralized autonomous organizations. 
• Meysam Fereidouni, PhD - Meysam Fereidouni is interested in analyzing the economic and social implications of Information Systems (IS). In particular, he studies the effects of digital platforms' anti-competitive acts on social welfare and the effectiveness of the European Union's Digital Marketing Act in response to such acts. He also studies the role of policymakers in mitigating the harmful effects of digital piracy.

Industry Research Fellows support the iRC vision by liaising between researchers, industry, and students for enriched learning experiences and professional opportunities including co-curricular activities, student mentorship, and advanced projects for real-world application.

Graham McFarlane

Graham McFarlane is an Industry Research Fellow with the Informatics Research Centre (iRC) in the Business Technology Management area at the Haskayne School of Business. In addition he is a Management Consulting specializing in the management of information technology.

Graham graduated from McGill University, Montreal, and his past experience includes ten years with IBM Canada occupying technical, project management and line management positions, including the management of a large scale computing service bureau.  Since 1978, he has been a Certified Management Consultant with Western Management Consultants working on engagements both domestically and internationally.
His achievements include:

• Contributing author writing several articles on IT management for industry publications
• Past President of the Institute of Certified Management Consultants of Alberta (ICMCA). In 1992, appointed a Fellow of the ICMCA
• Past member of the Board of Directors for the Planning Forum, Calgary Chapter
• Past Executive Member of the Canadian Information Processing Society (CIPS) and holder of the Information Systems Professional (ISP) designation
• Past Board of Directors member for Theatre Calgary

• Justin Abel, PWC, Partner, Risk Assurance Services
• Richard Arthurs, MNP, Partner, National Leader – Data and Information Dynamics, Enterprise Risk Services
• Don Bialik, Longview Systems, Executive Chairman             
• Patti Blackstaffe, GlobalSway, CEO and Sr. Advisor
• Simon Graham Crescent Point Energy, Director, Information Systems
• Maureen Higgins, ATCO, VP IT Strategic Vendor Management
• Kelly Hill Keyera, VP Information Technology
• Fadi Nasr, Calgary Coop, VP Information Technology
• Alexandra Nuth, Platypus, COO
• John Pirie, DIRTT, VP Software Development
• Terry Rock, Platform Calgary, President, and CEO 
• Alfredo Tan, Loblaw Companies Limited, Senior Vice-President and Managing Director Loblaw Media,
• Chris Terris, TELUS, Vice-President, Global Strategy & Animal Health           
• Elka Walsh, National Skills & Education Lead - Microsoft Canada