Faculty

Jianxi Luo is a tenured Associate Professor at SUTD, where he also serves as the Director of the Data-Driven Innovation Lab and a former Director of the SUTD Technology Entrepreneurship Programme. Internationally, he holds several editorial positions, including Managing Editor of the Journal of Engineering Design, Associate Editor of Design Science, Associate Editor of Artificial Intelligence for Engineering Design, Analysis & Manufacturing, Associate Editor of ASME Journal of Computing and Information Science in Engineering, Department Editor of IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, and editorial board member of Research in Engineering Design. Additionally, he is an executive committee member of the Council of Engineering Systems Universities (CESUN).

In 2021, Prof. Luo has been recognized by Stanford and Elsevier as the 13th most cited scientist globally in the field of design practice and management. In 2022, he was named G20 Professor by the G20 Organizing Committee for his work on data-driven innovation. His research on DDI combines design science, system science, and artificial intelligence to develop methods, tools, expert systems, and knowledge infrastructures for innovation in engineering design, technology management, and policy. Several expert systems that he co-invented with his students have been adopted by industry leaders, firms and organizations worldwide. He has co-authored over 150 articles, delivered more than 100 invited talks at over 80 firms, governments, and universities, and received over 20 best paper or design awards from organizations such as ASME, INFORMS, the Design Society, and the Complex System Society. His teaching covers design, systems, creativity, entrepreneurship, innovation, and leadership.

Prior to his current position, Jianxi Luo was a faculty member at New York University, a visiting scholar at Cambridge University and Columbia University, and the Chair of the INFORMS Technology Innovation Management & Entrepreneurship Section. He also had brief work or consulting experience with EDF, WEF, ADB, and Toyota. He holds a Ph.D. in “Engineering Systems: Technology, Management, and Policy” and an S.M. in “Technology and Policy” from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as an M.S. in Automotive and B.E. in Thermal Engineering from Tsinghua University.

Education

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Ph.D., Engineering Systems: Technology, Management, and Policy, 2010
  • S.M., Technology and Policy, 2006
• Tsinghua University
  • M.S., Vehicle and Mobility Engineering, 2004
  • B.E., Energy and Power Engineering, 2001

Services

• Managing Editor, Journal of Engineering Design
• Associate Editor, Design Science
• Associate Editor, Artificial Intelligence for Engineering Design, Analysis and Manufacturing
• Associate Editor, ASME Journal of Computing and Information Science in Engineering
• Department Editor, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management
• Guest Editor, Technovation
• Editorial Board Member, Research in Engineering Design
• Executive Committee Member, CESUN – Council of Engineeirng Systems Universities
• Chair Emeritus, INFORMS Technology Innovation Management & Entrepreneurship Section

Research Interests

• Data-Driven Innovation
• Design Science
• Artificial Intelligence
• Systems Thinking
• Technology Entrepreneurship
• Technology Policy

Awards & Honors

• Spotlight Paper, ASME Journal of Computing & Information Science in Engineering, 2023
• G20 Professorship, G20 Organizing Committee, 2022
• Spotlight Paper, ASME Journal of Computing & Information Science in Engineering, 2022
• Top 2% Scientists Globally by Standardized Citation Impact, Stanford University & Elsevier B.V., 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
• Silver Medal, Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions, 2022
• “Reviewers’ Favourite Paper” Award, 23rd International Conference on Engineering Design (ICED), Gothenburg, Sweden, 2021
• Editors’ Choice Paper Award, ASME Journal of Mechanical Design, 2020
• Best Paper Award, International Design Engineering Technical Conferences / Computers and Information in Engineering Conference (IDETC/CIE), Anaheim, California, 2019
• Innovative Applications in Analytics Award Finalist, Sponsored by Caterpillar, INFORMS Business Analytics Conference, Austin, Texas, 2019
• Best Paper Award Nomination, Hawaii International Conference on System Science (HICSS), Maui, Hawaii, 2019
• Excellence in Research Award, Singapore University of Technology & Design, 2018
• SG Good Design Mark, Singapore Design Business Chamber, 2017
• Richard R. Nelson Prize Finalist, 2016
• Best Paper Award, Academy of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Sydney, Australia, 2016
• Best Poster Award, International Conference on Complex Systems, Phoenix, Arizona, 2015
• “Reviewers’ Favourite Paper” Award, 20th International Conference on Engineering Design, Milan, Italy, 2015
• “Reviewers’ Favourite Paper” Award, 19th International Conference on Engineering Design, Seoul, Korea, 2013
• “Editor’s Choice”, Industrial and Corporate Change, 2012
• Best Dissertation Award (Runner-Up), INFORMS Technology, Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship Section, 2011
• Best Paper Award (2nd Place), Annual Conference of Chinese Scholars Association in Management Science & Engineering, 2010
• Alfred A.H. Keil Fellowship for Wiser Uses of Science and Technology, 2004
• China International Marine Containers (Group) Scholarship, 2003
• Mercedes-Benz Scholarship, 2002

Recent Invited Talks

• World Design Cities Conference (WDCC), Invited, September 2023
• IEEE International Conference on Design Science, Shanghai, July 2023 Keynote
• ASME JCISE Spotlight Talk, July 2023
• The University of Hong Kong, June 2023
• PPG Industries, United States, April 2023
• Dean’s Lecture, SUSTech Design School, April 2023
• Georgia Institute of Technology, March, 2023
• Imperial College London, United Kingdom, February, 2023
• Schwarzman College, January, 2023
• Lockheed Martin Corporation, United States, November 2022
• University of California at Berkeley, United States, October 2022
• Autodesk, United States, June 2022
• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), United States, November 2021
• International Society for Professional Innovation Management (ISPIM), September 2021
• 1st International Symposium on Intelligence Design, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, March 2021. Keynote
• Enterprise Singapore Venture Building Program, January 2021
• IEEE InTech Forum, IEEE Computer Society, December 2020
• 13th International Workshop on Design Theory, Paris, France, January 2020. Keynote
• A*STAR Artificial Intelligence Program, Singapore, January 2020
• Institute for New Economic Thinking, August 2019
• Centre for Brain-Inspired Computing Research, Tsinghua University, July 2020
• 17th Annual International Computer-Aided Design Conference, June 2019. Keynote
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States, April 2019
• State Key Laboratory of Automotive Safety and Energy, Tsinghua University, June 2018
• DSTA Innovation Day, October 2017. Keynote
• Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Zhejiang University, June 2017

Selected Publications

Data-Driven Innovation: What Is It
Jianxi Luo
IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 70(2), 784-790, 2023. Preprint

Design Representation as Semantic Networks
Serhad Sarica, Ji Han, Jianxi Luo
Computers in Industry, 144, 103791, 2023. Preprint

Generative Transformers for Design Concept Generation
Qihao Zhu, Jianxi Luo
ASME Journal of Computing and Information Science in Engineering, 23(4), 041003, 2023. Preprint

Biologically Inspired Design Concept Generation Using Generative Pre-Trained Transformers
Qihao Zhu, Xinyu Zhang, Jianxi Luo
ASME Journal of Mechanical Design, 145(4): 041409, 2023 Preprint

Intelligent Amphibious Ground-Aerial Vehicles: State of the Art Technology for Future Transportation
Xinyu Zhang, et al., Jianxi Luo, Jun Li
IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Vehicles, 8(1), 970 – 987, 2023. Preprint

Embedding Knowledge Graph of Patent Metadata to Measure Knowledge Proximity
Guangtong Li, Siddharth Lakshmi, Jianxi Luo
Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 74(4), 476-490. Preprint

Deep Learning for Technical Document Classification
Shuo Jiang, Jie Hu, Christopher Magee, Jianxi Luo
IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management. Preprint

Generative Pre-Trained Transformers for 15-Minute City Design
Rutvik Deshpande, Qihao Zhu, Sayjel Patel, Jianxi Luo
The 28th International Conference of the Association for Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia (CAADRIA 2023), Ahmedabad, India, 18-24 March, 2023

Meta Disciplines: Systems, Design, and Computing
Jianxi Luo
The 9th International Research Symposium on Problem Based Learning (IRSPBL 2023), Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, 21-23 June, 2023

Do Analogies and Analogical Distance Influence Ideation Outcomes in Engineering Design?
Srinivasan, V., Binyang Song, Jianxi Luo, Karupppasamy Subburaj, Mohan Elara, Lucienne Blessing, Kristin Wood
Applied Cognitive Science and Technology, Springer, 2023

Close the Gap in the US CHIPS and Science Law
Jianxi Luo
Nature, 610, 34, 2022

New Design: Opportunities for Engineering Design in an Era of Digital Transformation
Roger Jiao, Jianxi Luo, Johan Malmqvist, Joshua Summers
Journal of Engineering Design, 33(10), 685-690, 2022. Preprint

Natural Language Processing in-and-for Design Research
Siddharth Lakshmi, Lucienne Blessing, Jianxi Luo
Design Science, 8, e21, 2022

Innovation in Design Processes
Claudia Eckert, Jianxi Luo
IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 69(4), 1532-1536, 2022

Crowdfunding for Design Innovation: Prediction Model with Critical Factors
Chaoyang Song, Jianxi Luo, Katja Hölttä-Otto, Warren Seering, Kevin Otto
IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 69(4), 1565-1576. Preprint

Engineering Knowledge Graph from Patent Database
L. Siddharth, Lucienne T. M. Blessing, Kristin L. Wood, Jianxi Luo
ASME Journal of Computing and Information Science in Engineering, 22(2): 021008, 2022. Preprint

Patent Data for Engineering Design: A Critical Review and Future Directions
Shuo Jiang, Serhad Sarica, Binyang Song, Jie Hu, Jianxi Luo
ASME Journal of Computing and Information Science in Engineering. Preprint

Data-Driven Design-by-Analogy: State of the Art and Future Directions
Shuo Jiang, Jie Hu, Kristin Wood, Jianxi Luo
ASME Journal of Mechanical Design, 144(2): 020802, 2022 (Special Issue: AI and Engineering Design)

Semantic Networks for Engineering Design: State of the Art and Future Directions
Ji Han, Serhad Sarica, Feng Shi, Jianxi Luo
ASME Journal of Mechanical Design, 144(2): 020801, 2022 (SI: AI and Engineering Design)

Technology Fitness Landscape for Design Innovation: A Deep Neural Embedding Approach Based on Patent Data
Shuo Jiang, Jianxi Luo
Journal of Engineering Design, 33(10), 716-727, 2022. Preprint

Enhancing Patent Retrieval using Text and Knowledge Graph Embeddings: A Technical Note
Siddharth Lakshmi, Guangtong Li, JIanxi Luo
Journal of Engineering Design, 33(8/9), 670-683, 2022. Preprint

Guiding Data-Driven Design Ideation by Knowledge Distance
Jianxi Luo, Serhad Sarica, Kristin Wood
Knowledge-Based Systems, 218, 106873, 2021

Idea Generation with Technology Semantic Network
Serhad Sarica, Binyang Song, Jianxi Luo, Kristin Wood
Artificial Intelligence for Engineering Design, Analysis and Manufacturing, 35(3), 265-283, 2021. Preprint

Deriving Design Feature Vectors for Patent Images with Convolutional Neural Network
Shuo Jiang, Jie Hu, Jianxi Luo, Christopher L Magee
ASME Journal of Mechanical Design, 143(6), 061405, 2021

TechNet: Technology Semantic Network
Serhad Sarica, Jianxi Luo, Kristin Wood
Expert Systems with Applications, 142, 112995, 2020

Data-Driven Intelligence on Innovation and Competition
Serhad Sarica, Bowen Yan, Jianxi Luo
Information Systems Management, 37(3), 198-212, 2020. Get a Copy

Machine Learning Based Design Concept Evaluation
Bradley Camburn , Yuejun He , Sujithra Raviselvam , Jianxi Luo, Kristin Wood
ASME Journal of Mechanical Design, 142(3), 031113, 2020

Mining and Representing the Concept Space of Existing Ideas for Directed Ideation
He, Y., Camburn, B., Liu, H.W. Luo, J., Yang, M., Wood, K.L.
ASME Journal of Mechanical Design, 141, 121101, 2019 (SI: Machine Learning for Engineering Design).

Overlay Technology Space Map for Analyzing Design Knowledge Base of a Technology Domain: The Case of Hybrid Electric Vehicles
Binyang Song, Giorgio Triulzi, Bowen Yan, Jeffrey Alstott, Jianxi Luo
Research in Engineering Design, 30(3), 405–423, 2019.

The Hierarchy-Niche Model for Supply Networks
Jianxi Luo, Daniel Whitney
Production and Operations Management, 28(3), 668–681, 2019.

Multicores-Periphery Structure in Networks
Bowen Yan, Jianxi Luo
Network Science, 7(1), 70-87,2019. Preprint

Understanding the Lifestyle of Older Population in Singapore: Mobile Crowdsensing Approach
H. Marakkalage, P. L. Lau, S. Sarica, S. K. Viswanath, T. Balasubramaniam, B. Yuen, J. Luo, R. Nayak, C. Yuen
IEEE Transactions on Computational Social Systems, 6(1), 82-95, 2019. Get a Copy

An Infinite Regress Model of Design Change Propagation in Complex Systems
Serhad Sarica, Jianxi Luo
IEEE Systems Journal, 13(4), 3610-3618, 2019. Get a Copy

Design Opportunity Conception Using Technology Space Map
Jianxi Luo, Binyang Song, Lucienne Blessing, Kristin Wood
Artificial Intelligence for Engineering Design, Analysis and Manufacturing, 32(4), 449-461, 2018 (SI: Design Creativity)

Architecture and Evolvability of Innovation Ecosystems
Jianxi Luo
Technology Forecasting and Social Change, 136, 132-144, 2018

Cyclic Dependence, Vertical Integration, and Innovation: The Case of Japanese Electronics Sector in the 1990s
Jianxi Luo, Giorgio Triulzi
Technology Forecasting and Social Change, 132, 46-55, 2018

Data-Driven Platform Design: Patent Data and Function Network Analysis
Binyang Song, Jianxi Luo, Kristin Wood
ASME Journal of Mechanical Design, 141(2), 021101, 2018

Does Analogical Distance Affect Performance of Ideation
Srinivasan V., Binyang Song, Jianxi Luo, K. Subburaj, Mohan Rajesh Elara, Lucienne Blessing, Kristin Wood
ASME Journal of Mechanical Design, 140(7): 071101, 2018

The Characteristics of Innovative Mechanical Products – 10 Years Later
Katja Hölttä-Otto, Kevin Otto, Chaoyang Song, Jianxi Luo, Timothy Li, Carolyn Seepersad, Warren Seering
ASME Journal of Mechanical Design, 140(8): 084501, 2018

Patent Stimuli Search and its Influence on Ideation Outcomes
Binyang Song, Srinivasan Venkataraman, Jianxi Luo
Design Science, 3, e25, 2017. (Special Collection: Network-based Modeling and Analysis in Design)

The Novelty “Sweet Spot” of Invention
Yuejun He, Jianxi Luo
Design Science, 3, e21, 2017

Inventors’ Explorations Across Technology Domains
Jeffrey Alstott, Giorgio Triulzi, Bowen Yan, Jianxi Luo
Design Science, 3, e20, 2017

InnoGPS for Data-Driven Exploration of Design Opportunities and Directions: The Case of Google Driverless Car Project
Jianxi Luo, Bowen Yan, Kristin Wood
ASME Journal of Mechanical Design, 139(11), 111416, 2017 (Special Issue: Data-Driven Design)

Mining Patent Precedents for Data-driven Design: the Case of Spherical Rolling Robot
Binyang Song, Jianxi Luo
ASME Journal of Mechanical Design, 139(11), 111420, 2017 (Special Issue: Data-Driven Design)

The Growing Complexity in Invention Process
Jianxi Luo, Kristin Wood
Research in Engineering Design, 28(4), 421-435, 2017.

Measuring Technological Distance for Patent Mapping
Bowen Yan, Jianxi Luo
Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 68(2), 423–437, 2017. Preprint

Mapping Technology Space by Normalizing Technology Relatedness Networks
Jeffrey Alstott, Giorgio Triulzi, Bowen Yan, Jianxi Luo
Scientometrics, 110(1), 443-479, 2017. Preprint

More on the Data-Driven Innovation Lab website