I’m an Assistant Professor of  Strategy and Innovation at Questrom School of Business, Boston University.

I study how corporations navigate conflicting stakeholder demands in their technology and market-related decisions. My ongoing research particularly focuses on corporate transparency, environmental regulation, and the dynamic intersection of business and politics.

In one research program, I analyze oil companies' participation in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and their engagement in political advocacy, exploring how these strategies influence competitive dynamics. In another research program, I investigate how oil companies, service firms, and chemical suppliers in the US hydraulic fracturing industry balance protecting proprietary technology with meeting non-market stakeholders' demands for environmental accountability through chemical transparency.

Beyond firm-level outcomes, my work also evaluates whether corporate social initiatives, such as enhanced transparency, yield tangible societal benefits, including reductions in corruption and environmental pollution.

I hold a Ph.D. in Business Administration, with a concentration in Strategy & Entrepreneurship, from the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis. I also obtained an MSc in Metals and Energy Finance from the Royal School of Mines, Imperial College London, as a Chevening Scholar.

Prior to academia, I was Deputy Director of Strategy and Business Development at Sinopec Group, a multinational energy and petrochemical company, where my roles included conducting cross-border M&As, strategic planning, and managing relationships with key stakeholders.

I grew up in Chongqing, China, and have lived in Canada, Switzerland, the UK, the US, and Italy. 

Email: xtang1@bu.edu