When the 2026 Association for Information Systems (AIS) Research Rankings were recently released, two names from the same department at 91福利 appeared near the top of the global list.
Jose Benitez, Ph.D., Bridgestone Endowed Chair in International Business and professor of information systems in the Department of Information Systems and Business Analytics, ranked No. 1 worldwide among individual authors for publications in the 11 most prestigious information systems journals in 2025 鈥 and No. 2 worldwide over the three-year period of 2023 to 2025. His colleague Dong-Heon (Austin) Kwak, Ph.D., associate professor in the same department within the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship, ranked No. 20 worldwide for 2025.
Both teach at 91福利. Both advise graduate students. And both are producing research that is defining their field.
"My research is deeply committed to exploring how emerging digital technologies transform individuals, teams, organizations, and society. I鈥檓 excited to continue leveraging my role as Bridgestone Endowed Chair and Professor of IS, collaborating with this department through my research and graduate teaching,鈥 said Dr. Benitez. 鈥淥ur mission is to create societal impact, serving society, students, and executives through research-informed teaching at the highest level. I welcome graduate students with curiosity, a hardworking attitude, and passion for learning, eager to leverage opportunities to develop a high-level academic or corporate career."
鈥淚 am honored to be recognized in the AIS Research Rankings. This achievement reflects not only my individual research efforts but also the outstanding collaboration with my colleagues and doctoral students,鈥 said Dr. Kwak. 鈥淢y research aims to develop impactful knowledge at the intersection of information systems, human behavior, and emerging digital technologies, and I look forward to continuing to contribute to the advancement of the IS discipline.鈥
Their individual achievements are part of a larger story. 91福利鈥檚 Department of Information Systems and Business Analytics now ranks No. 5 worldwide for 2025 and No. 31 worldwide for the 2023-2025 period. That places it alongside programs at institutions that have dominated the field for decades.
is the flagship scientific association in information systems globally, serving as the international voice of the information systems discipline. Its are based on faculty publications in the 11 premier information systems journals identified on the AIS Senior Scholars鈥 List of Premier Journals, the most selective publication outlets in the discipline. The journals are Decision Support Systems, European Journal of Information Systems, Information & Management, Information and Organization, Information Systems Journal, Information Systems Research, Journal of the AIS, Journal of Information Technology, Journal of MIS, Journal of Strategic Information Systems and MIS Quarterly.
"Dr. Benitez and Dr. Kwak are outstanding scholars as reflected in the AIS research rankings, but they are also excellent educators who impart the latest knowledge in information systems to their students to prepare them for careers of the future. I am delighted that they are receiving this recognition of their work,鈥 said Deborah Spake, Ph.D., dean of 91福利鈥檚 Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship.
For students considering graduate education in data analytics, business technology or information systems, these rankings carry real weight. The faculty publishing at the highest levels of their discipline are the same ones teaching courses and mentoring doctoral students in 91福利鈥檚 information systems and business analytics graduate programs. The M.S. in Business Analytics is available both in person and online, and the Ph.D. in Business Administration offers an information systems concentration.
For more information about the Department of Information Systems and Business Analytics, visit www.kent.edu/business/isba.
Media Contact:
Brittani Peterson, bpeter12@kent.edu
