ESSEC Business School - Digitalization & Management Information Systems (DMIS) Concentration
Call for Applications
2025-2026
The Information Systems (IS) group at ESSEC Business School invites applications for the "Digitalization and Management Information Systems" concentration of ESSEC's PhD program. ESSEC Business School offers PhD scholarships that include i) full tuition waiver, ii) an annual living stipend of more than €25,000 per year (net), paid monthly, iii) dedicated research and conference funding, and iv) the possibility of an associate lecturer contract in the fifth year.
The DMIS concentration investigates the business and managerial implications of technologies and how they redefine organizations and society. From Generative AI and the future of work to platforms, fintech, blockchain, analytics, and data, faculty in ESSEC's Information Systems group conduct research on a variety of current topics, examining the governance, impact, and diffusion of emerging technologies with both breadth and depth. The group has been consistently ranked among the top schools in the research rankings of the Association for Information Systems, and our graduates pursue research-intensive academic careers at leading universities worldwide and contribute to evidence-based practice and policy.
The Digitalization and Management Information Systems concentration's training combines theory-building with methodological range that deploys fieldwork and qualitative analyses; computational and data-science techniques; as well as design science for creating and evaluating artifacts. The concentration equips students with the necessary skills to pursue leading academic careers, and emphasizes close collaboration with our core faculty from day one, where students learn to frame novel research questions, investigate and analyze complex data, as well as communicate their findings for research and practical impact.
Members of the IS group (currently twelve core faculty) that serve as advisors to admitted students employ a variety of research methods and regularly publish their work and serve as editorial board members in premier journals including MIS Quarterly, Information Systems Research, Journal of Management Information Systems, Journal of the Association for Information Systems, European Journal of Information Systems, Information Systems Journal, Journal of Information Technology, Decision Support Systems, Academy of Management Review, Organization Science, Organization Studies. In addition, they have received numerous best paper, best dissertation, best editor, best case, career awards, as well as best "40 under 40 MBA professors" honors.
Research topics of interest include:
• Business, Organizational, Managerial, and Societal Implications of Emerging Technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Blockchain
• Digital Business, Innovation, Transformation, Future of Work, and IS Strategy
• Processes of IS Change
• IS Design, Implementation, & Use
• Data & Society, Data Governance & Analytics
• Digital Economy, Digital Platforms, Ecosystems, Social Movements, and E-Government
• Sustainable IS
The IS group is committed to increasing the number of women in academic positions. Female candidates are therefore particularly encouraged to apply. For more information about ESSEC's Information Systems core faculty please visit the Information Systems faculty page https://ido-department.essec.edu/faculty-staff
The ESSEC PhD program has two admission rounds with application deadlines on January 15th and May 1st. Candidates are strongly encouraged to apply early. For more information on the application process and the application requirements, please visit https://www.essec.edu/en/program/program-phd/?tab=admissions
All PhD courses at ESSEC are taught in English. Prior knowledge of French is not required, and the school provides optional French courses to non-French speaking students. For more information about ESSEC's PhD Program and to apply online, please visit https://www.essec.edu/en/program/phd-en/phd-program/
ESSEC is a leading global business school whose three-campus footprint (France, Singapore, and Morocco) and international network of outstanding partner institutions offer ample opportunities to engage in exchanges with the academic community. Our location in the suburbs of Paris provides easy access to one of the world's most vibrant cities, and a thriving academic community.
For inquiries, and additional questions, please contact Prof. Harris Kyriakou (kyriakou@essec.edu).
Thank you for forwarding this announcement to prospective students.