Jenkins Wins AIS Early Career Award

PROVO, Utah – Apr 03, 2018 – Jeff Jenkins, assistant professor in the BYU Marriott School of Business Department of Information Systems, was recently recognized for his contributions to the field of information systems by receiving the Association for Information Systems (AIS) Early Career Award.

Jenkins was one of five winners, receiving the award at the recent AIS Conference held in Seoul, South Korea. The annual conference is the most prestigious gathering of academics and practitioners in the IS discipline and provides a forum for networking and sharing of the latest research ideas. Each year more than 1,000 IS professionals from around the world participate.

“I feel very honored to be a part of this group," Jenkins says. "I feel thankful for my mentors and colleagues that have made this possible over the years."

The award honors individuals within seven years of receiving their PhD who have already made outstanding research, teaching, or service contributions to the field of information systems. According to the AIS, nominees should be global contributors to the discipline as well as local contributors in the context of their country and region.

Jenkins recently ranked No. 3 for most publications in top-tier journals among information systems professionals worldwide. His research analyzes how people use the computer mouse, touchscreen, keyboard, and other computer input devices to detect the user’s cognitive and emotional states. 

Among Jenkins’ accomplishments are his nineteen peer-reviewed journal articles and fifty conference publications. He has also served in a variety of different panels, groups, and committees relating to the field of information systems.  

“Most people hardly have any top publications in their first five years," says Bonnie Anderson, information systems department chair. "Working in academia, it takes a long time to build that reputation. How Jeff jumped in and is right there is amazing and people are recognizing that."

Jenkins credits much of his success to the help received from the BYU Marriott IS department and faculty.

“I can’t express my gratitude enough to the faculty, staff, and students for their help and assistance," Jenkins says. "The department has given me the resources and opportunities to do well on my research. I have several great colleagues that have really helped me along the way, and they have been great co-authors on papers.”

In winning the award, Jenkins joins fellow BYU Marriott IS faculty James Gaskin, who won the inaugural Early Career Award in 2015. BYU now tops all schools worldwide with two AIS Early Career Award winners.