Victor Cui

Victor Cui
Conrad Research Excellence Chair, Professor of Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Global Strategy, Cross-appointments: Cheriton School of Computer Science, Dept. of Management Science & Engineering
Location: E7 2418
Status: Active

Biography

Professor Victor Cui studies how emerging technologies and shifting geopolitics are reshaping innovation, strategy, and the future of globalization. His research is published in leading academic journals and has been featured in BNN Bloomberg, Fortune, CBC, and The Globe and Mail.

A global thought leader on geopolitics and the evolving logic of globalization, Professor Cui serves on the International Science Council (ISC)’s Global Roster of Experts advising the United Nations. He is a Balsillie School of International Affairs (BSIA) Fellow, an affiliate of the Waterloo Data and Artificial Intelligence Institute, Editor for four leading international journals, and Chair of Canada’s SSHRC Insight Development Grant (IDG) competition.

Professor Cui works closely with partners across government, industry, and academia to tackle complex challenges—turning research insights into real-world impact.

Research

Professor Cui’s early work examined how compensation structures shape innovation outcomes, from incremental improvements to breakthrough discoveries (Yanadori & Cui, 2013; Cui, Ding, & Yanadori, 2019). His subsequent research explored competitive dynamics in exploratory and exploitative partnerships (Cui, Yang, & Vertinsky, 2018) and generated insights on intellectual property rights (IPR) protection for governments and multinational enterprises (Brander, Cui, & Vertinsky, 2017; Cui, Narula, Minbaeva, & Vertinsky, 2022).

His recent work investigates U.S.–China geopolitical tensions and how firms navigate an era of fragmentation and competing globalization paradigms (Cui, Vertinsky, Wang, & Zhou, 2023; Vertinsky, Kuang, Zhou, & Cui, 2023). Ongoing projects examine how artificial intelligence is transforming business strategy, governance, and societal systems—work strengthened by his collaboration the Waterloo Data and Artificial Intelligence Institute and the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science.

His research has received international awards and appears in top journals, including Strategic Management Journal, Journal of International Business Studies, and Research Policy.

Consultancy and Engagement

Professor Cui advises and collaborates with organizations across financial services, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, aviation, and brewing. He has also co-founded several technology startups and international joint ventures, bridging academic research with practical application. For consulting inquiries or speaking engagements, please contact him via email.

Join His Research Team

Professor Cui welcomes Ph.D. applicants who aim to address grand challenges in business, society, and the humanities through interdisciplinary research. He encourages applications from diverse backgrounds, including artificial intelligence, computer/software engineering, data science, statistics, quantum physics, and cognitive science.

Applicants are expected to demonstrate strong programming proficiency (e.g., Python, SAS, R, Stata, C, JavaScript) and a solid foundation in AI and machine learning.

He also supervises Ph.D. and M.Sc. students in the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science and the Department of Management Science and Engineering (MSE). Applicants who plan to complete a master’s degree before pursuing a Ph.D. are encouraged to apply through Computer Science or MSE.

Visiting scholars, current graduate students, and motivated undergraduates are also warmly invited to join his research group. To discuss potential fit and research ideas, please reach out via email—Professor Cui looks forward to exploring possibilities together.

Research Interests

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) — Exploring how AI transforms business, society, and the humanities.

  • Global Challenges and Geopolitics — Investigating U.S.–China decoupling, shifting paradigms of globalization, and their implications for firms and nations.

  • Global Competition for Talent — Examining how organizations and countries attract, retain, and mobilize human capital in the knowledge economy.

  • Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and Innovation Policy — Understanding how IPR protection shapes technological advancement and international collaboration.

  • Technological Innovation and Entrepreneurship — Studying how emerging technologies create new ventures, business models, and strategic opportunities.

  • Cooperation and Competition — Analyzing how firms balance rivalry and collaboration in complex global ecosystems.

  • Compensation and Incentive Design — Investigating how pay structures influence creativity, innovation, and organizational performance.

Education

  • Ph.D. Business Administration, Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia, Canada

  • Ph.D. Engineering Management, Faculty of Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Awards

  • 2025 & 2024, Best Senior Editor Award, Management and Organization Review

  • 2020, Best Reviewer Award, Journal of International Business Studies

  • 2019 & 2020, Faculty Research Award, Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba

  • 2019, Outstanding Teacher, University of Manitoba

  • 2015 & 2019, Golden Shovel Award, Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba

  • 2010, Best Paper Award, Technology and Innovation Management Division, Administrative Sciences Assocation of Canada

  • 2009, Best Student Paper Award, Technology and Innovation Management Division, Academy of Management

  • 2009, Graduate Teaching Award, University of British Columbia

Service

  • 2024-, Member of Global Roster of Experts, International Science Council (An NGO advising the UN on global challenges)

  • 2025-, Associate Editor, Journal of Business Research

  • 2022-, Senior Editor, Asia Pacific Journal of Management

  • 2022-, Senior Editor, Management and Organization Review

  • 2023-2025, Senior Editor, International Business Review

  • 2016-, Editorial Review Board, Journal of International Business Studies

  • 2019, Guest Editor, Journal of International Business Studies special issue: "Studying Intellectual Property Rights in International Business through Multiple Levels of Analysis"

  • 2022-2024, Chair, Insight Development Grants Adjudication Committee (business, management and related fields), Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Canada

Teaching*

  • BE 620 - Business Strategy
    • Taught in 2024, 2025
  • BET 320 - Entrepreneurial Strategy
    • Taught in 2026
  • BET 607 - Managing Technological Innovation
    • Taught in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025

* Only courses taught in the past 5 years are displayed.

Selected/Recent Publications

  • Cui, V. (2025). Canada can claim its economic sovereignty during the global trade war. The Globe and Mail, April 10, 2025

  • Cui, V., Vertinsky, I., Wang, Y., Zhou, D. (2023). Decoupling in international business: The ‘new’ vulnerability of globalization and MNEs’ response strategies. Journal of International Business Studies (AJG4*), 54(8), 1562-1576.

  • Vertinsky, I., Kuang, Y., Zhou, D., & Cui, V. (2023). The political economy and dynamics of bifurcated world governance and the decoupling of value chains: An alternative perspective. Journal of International Business Studies (AJG4*), 54(7), 1351-1377.

  • Cui, V., Narula, R., Minbaeva, D., & Vertinsky, I. (2022). Towards integrating country-and firm-level perspectives on intellectual property rights. Journal of International Business Studies (AJG4*), 53(9), 1880-1894.

  • Cui, V., Ding, W. W., & Yanadori, Y. (2019). Exploration versus exploitation in technology firms: The role of compensation structure for R&D workforce. Research Policy (AJG4*), 48(6), 1534-1549.

  • Cui, V., Yang, H., & Vertinsky, I. (2018). Attacking your partners: Strategic alliances and competition between partners in product markets. Strategic Management Journal (AJG4*), 39(12), 3116-3139.

  • Brander, J. A., Cui, V., & Vertinsky, I. (2017). China and intellectual property rights: A challenge to the rule of law. Journal of International Business Studies (AJG4*), 48(7), 908-921.

  • Yanadori, Y., & Cui, V. (2013). Creating incentives for innovation? The relationship between pay dispersion in R&D groups and firm innovation performance. Strategic management journal (AJG4*), 34(12), 1502-1511.

  • (Full text access via ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Victor-Cui-2/research)

In The News

Graduate studies

I am currently seeking to accept graduate students. Please submit your graduate studies application and include my name as a potential advisor.