W. G. “Will” Zhao is an Associate Professor in the Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business within the Faculty of Arts at the University of Waterloo. An interdisciplinary scholar whose work advances Human-Centred Innovation Research (HCIR), Professor Zhao is also cross-appointed to the Department of Management Science and Engineering and the Department of Systems Design Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering for graduate supervision and collaborative research. He has held visiting and external faculty roles at the University of Toronto Mississauga and the Ivey Business School at Western University, which enrich the perspectives on innovation research he brings to his academic home at Waterloo. A dual national of France and Canada, Professor Zhao completed his PhD at the French Grande École Emlyon Business School and pursued postdoctoral research at Stanford University as an SCANCOR scholar. His teaching and research have been recognised through multiple faculty and university-level distinctions.
HCIR forms the foundation of Professor Zhao’s scholarly programme. His work examines how ethical reflection and artistic sensibility can inform the development, commercialization, and governance of innovations in ways that enhance, rather than erode, human well-being. Drawing on organisational theory, human-computer interaction, and systems thinking, Professor Zhao’s current projects centre on three interconnected themes of innovation. 1) Organisational Innovation explores how innovations are generated, acquired, and scaled within dynamic environments. 2) Governance of Emerging Technologies investigates the ethical and regulatory questions associated with artificial intelligence and related technological fields. 3) Applied AI and Extended Reality Engineering develops human-centred technological applications designed to enhance experiential quality and support well-being. These research activities contribute to sectors where human well-being is directly at stake, including health, education, finance, and creative practice.
Beyond his research and teaching, Professor Zhao collaborates with industry and societal stakeholders to connect scholarship with practice through entrepreneurial initiatives, collaborative partnerships, and public engagement, thereby deepening the insights he brings to HCIR and its role in shaping humane organisational and technological futures.
