Marialena Bevilacqua wins Notre Dame’s Shaheen 3MT contest
Dr. Marialena Bevilacqua turned a complex analytical study into a compelling three-minute story. candidate with a PhD in Analytics from the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business won first place in the Shaheen Three Minute Essay (3MT®) competition.
Marialena Bevilacqua
This competition, sponsored by the Notre Dame Graduate School and the Meruelo Family Center for Career Development and Graduate Career Services, helps graduate students hone their ability to explain their research to a wide audience in as little as three minutes.
Bevilacqua’s presentation won over 11 other graduate students from the College of Arts and Letters, College of Engineering, College of Science, Mendoza College of Business, and Keough School of Global Affairs. The final round of Notre Dame’s 10th annual Shaheen 3MT competition was held on February 25th at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center.
“We launched the Analytics Ph.D. program in 2021 with the express purpose of preparing scholars who contribute to academic knowledge and respond to the needs of society through rigorous research rooted in deep inquiry that considers the ethical aspects of data and its use,” said Ahmed Abbasi, Joe and Jane Giovannini Professor of IT, Analytics, and Operations and director of the doctoral program. with an analysis program. “Marialena is a shining example of that vision.”
Bevilacqua’s paper, “Sustaining Humanity: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Donations to Humanitarian Organizations,” published in 3MT, examines how private donors are responding to humanitarian organizations’ use of artificial intelligence in decision-making. The study found that donors consistently prefer human decision makers over AI, especially when the AI operates autonomously. This finding highlights the importance of aligning AI implementation with donor expectations to maintain trust and financial support.
Marialena Bevilacqua speaks at the 3MT competition.
The study was co-authored by Cameron Cormillo, assistant professor of IT, analytics and operations at the University of Notre Dame, Alfonso Pedraza Martinez, university professor of IT, analytics and operations and director of the Humanitarian Assistance Center (HOPE) in Mendoza, and Greg and Patty Fox.
Bevilacqua uses experimental methods to study how artificial intelligence shapes human moral decision-making. She holds a BA in Mathematics with a minor in Statistics from the College of the Holy Cross and a Master of Science in Business Analytics from Georgetown University. Before starting my PhD studies, I worked as a brand operations analyst and manager at e-commerce startup Thrasio, where I won the company’s ‘Rookie of the Year’ award.
She is a research assistant at the HOPE Lab, which is dedicated to building and disseminating practical knowledge through research in humanitarian operations management.
“Mariarina’s success reflects the core of Mendoza’s mission to develop scholars who conduct research that advances knowledge and contributes to human flourishing,” said Martin Kremers, Martin J. Guillen Dean of the Mendoza College of Business. “I congratulate her on this achievement and look forward to the continued contributions of her and her doctoral students.”
