Researcher | Educator

I am an Information Systems scholar studying how innovation moves from possibility to viability. Artifacts and digital technologies can often support more possibilities than originally intended. Their attributes can also make some uses, combinations, and directions easier to see or pursue than others. Consequently, the innovations that emerge and their viability depend on how people search, make choices, adapt, and integrate them within the settings in which they operate.
My research examines this process across three connected problems in innovation:
DISCOVER POSSIBILITIES → NAVIGATE ENTREPRENEURIAL PATHWAYS → INTEGRATE INNOVATIONS
My empirical settings include user innovation, software and digital start-ups, digital health, and generative AI innovation projects. In terms of methodology, I use longitudinal qualitative research, digital trace data, computational methods, and econometric analysis depending on the question.
About Me.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Information Systems and Analytics at the National University of Singapore (NUS). I received my Ph.D. in Information Systems from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin. I also have a B.A. in Molecular Cell Biology (Immunology) and Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and an M.P.H. in Health Management from Yale University.
Before joining academia, I worked extensively with start-ups, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies in the United States, Singapore, Japan, and the World Health Organization. I continue to collaborate with industry on projects related to digital transformation and entrepreneurship.
My research focuses on digital entrepreneurship (particularly start-ups in the early years operating in nascent ecosystems) and digital transformation (healthcare). My research has been nominated for best papers at leading academic conferences, such as the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS) and the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS). My work has also been published in top-ranked international journals, such as Management Science, Strategic Management Journal, and Journal of Management Information Systems.
I have also won multiple teaching awards and have taught undergraduate and postgraduate students at the NUS School of Computing, the University of Texas at Austin, and Yale University.
Get in Touch
15 Computing Drive S117418
sylim @ nus.edu.sg