Brian Uzzi

Brian Uzzi is the Richard L. Thomas Professor of Leadership at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. He also co-directs the Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO), and holds professorships in Sociology and at the McCormick School of Engineering. He has been on or visited the faculties of INSEAD, Chicago, Harvard, and Berkeley. His work has received over 30 teaching and scientific research prizes worldwide in the social, managerial, ecological, and computer sciences.

His research uses social network science and AI to explain outstanding human achievement. His research appears in scientific journals in management, physics, ecology, sociology, medicine, economics, psychology, and computer science and is frequently featured by social and mainstream media outlets. Grants for his research have come from the U.S. government and private agencies. He is a Fellow of the Network Science Society.

A globally recognized scientist, teacher, and speaker on leadership, social networks, and AI, Brian consults for organizations and governments in over 30 countries, including the Young Presidents' Organization (YPO), McKinsey, PWC, KPMG, Deloitte, Baker and McKenzie, Pepsico, P&G, Kraft, Abbott Labs, UNITE, Total Quality Schools, Hearst Media, the World Bank, ABN AMBRO, CreditSuisse, AON, U.S. intelligence agencies, Thomson Reuters, BAE, Google, MicroSoft, Intel, Genentech, and non-profits worldwide.

Before Kellogg, Brian worked as a management consultant, carpenter, and musician. He holds an MS is in social psychology from Carnegie-Mellon University and a Ph.D. in sociology from The State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Education

• PhD, 1994, Sociology, State University of New York, Stony Brook
• MA, 1991, State University of New York, Stony Brook
• MS, 1989, Organizational Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University
• BA, 1982, Business Economics, Hofstra University

Academic Positions

• Faculty Director, Kellogg Architectures of Collaboration Initiative (KACI), Northwestern University, 2013-present
• Co-Director, Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO), Northwestern University, 2007-present
• Professor of Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences, McCormick School of Engineering (Courtesy), Northwestern University, 2007-present
• Richard L. Thomas Professor of Leadership and Organizational Change, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, 2006-present
• Professor of Sociology, Weinberg College of Arts of Sciences (Courtesy), Northwestern University, 2005-present
• Professor of Management, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, 2005-present
• Warren E. and Carol Spieker Chair in Leadership, Haas School of Business, University of California at Berkeley, 2007-2008
• Visiting Professor of Strategy, Graduate School of Business, University of Chicago, 2004-2005
• Summer Fellow, Santa Fe Institute, 2003-2003
• Summer Fellow, Santa Fe Institute, 2002-2002
• Visiting Professor of Strategy and Organization Behavior, INSEAD, 1999-2000
• Faculty Fellow, Insitute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, 1998-2000
• Associate Professor of Sociology, Weinberg College of Arts of Sciences (Courtesy), Northwestern University, 1996-2004
• Associate Professor of Management, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, 1996-2004
• Assistant Professor of Sociology, Weinberg College of Arts of Sciences (Courtesy), Northwestern University, 1993-1995
• Assistant Professor of Management, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, 1993-1995

Awards

• EMP 118 Teacher of the Year, 2018-2020
• Fellow of the Network Science Society, Network Science Society, 2020
• Kellogg Recanati Teacher of the Year, 2019, 2017-2019
• World Wide Web (WWW) Best Paper Prize, 25th World Wide Web Conference
• Star-Nelkin Science, Knowledge and Technology Award, Honorable Mention, American Sociological Association, 2015
• Starred Outstanding Paper Award, Conference on Complex Systems, 2015
• Professor of the Year, Kellogg Executive MBA Program
• Best Professor of the Year, Kellogg-Racanti Executive MBA Program, Kellogg School of Management, 2013
• Vanguard Award for Science, La Vanguardia, 2011
• Kellogg Alumni Professor of the Year Award, Kellogg School of Management, 2009
• Executive MBA Program Outstanding Teaching Awards, Kellogg School of Management, 2007, 1999
• Professor of the Year, Kellogg Graduate School of Management, 2007
• W. Richard Scott Best paper Prize, American Sociological Association, 2006
• Professor of the Year, Kellogg Hong Kong University of Science and Techonology Executive MBA Program, 2004
• Distinguished Scholarly Contribution Award, Administrative Science Quarterly, 2003
• W. Richard Scott Best paper Prize, American Sociological Association, 2002
• Professor of the Year, Kellogg Graduate School of Management, 1999
• Sidney J. Levy Teaching Award, Kellogg Graduate School of Management, 1994-1995
• Louis Pondy Best Paper Disseration Award, Academy of Management Assocation, 1994
• Faculty Teaching Honor Role, Kellogg Graduate School of Management, 1993-present
• Institute for Socio Economics Best Conference paper Prize, Institute for Socio Economics, 1993
• Institute for Management Science Dissertation Proposal Award, Institute for Management Science, 1992

Editorial Positions

• Referee, Nature Human Behavior, 2017-
• Referee, Nature Scientific Reports, 2017-
• Referee, Nature Communications, 2017-
• Managing Editor, PNAS
• Ad-hoc Reviewer, Administrative Science Quarterly
• Ad-hoc Reviewer, Science
• Ad-hoc Reviewer, American Journal of Sociology
• Ad-hoc Reviewer, Nature
• Ad-hoc Reviewer, American Sociological Reivew