Dr. Alex Ramirez is Associate Professor, Information Systems (IS), Sprott School of Business. From his early career in nuclear physics in Mexico, to his eventual path to IS, Ramirez has continued to follow his passion, excitement, and clear talent for all things “technical”—ensuring to stay conversant to the rapid evolution of digital innovation. As such, Ramirez is a leading expert in his field and conducts cutting-edge research in emerging digital application technologies in business—research that focuses on creating solutions using the power of IS to support managerial decision-making.
Ramirez’s most recent work focuses on how businesses can successfully integrate technology to improve managerial decision-making processes and maximize productivity through the power of Digital Twinning (DT). DT is the creation of a digital replica of virtually anything that allows a business to collect and process data at speeds and accuracies that just are not humanly possible. “Once you invest in IS, you can collect and analyze massive volumes of data that can better explain business and operational phenomena that we didn’t understand in the past. Data is being taken to the next level of value.”
Ramirez’s most recent project—garnering national attention—is collaborative, multidisciplinary work with a team at Carleton University who are reimagining how we look at cities—the urban future—through the concept of DT. The team’s project, funded by the Government of Canada’s New Frontiers in Research Fund, is called: “Imagining Canada’s Digital Twin.” The project aims to first: Build an inclusive and multidisciplinary consortium comprised of academic, indigenous, not-for-profit, public, and private partners that represent local and regional networks. The second involves developing the DT prototype of the Montreal-Ottawa-Toronto corridor. The work involves creating digital versions of city features, then synchronize data connections between them in real-time. These “smart cities” can help reduce waste and improve efficiency for things such as energy use, essentially improving how we work and live. Ramirez strongly believes that this work, and technology-based business innovation, is highly beneficial to the future of Canada—for business, economies, and society. Smart cities can create more inclusive and equitable societies by providing a platform where information is available to everyone, at the right time, in a useful way.
Dr. Ramirez has a BSc, high honours, in Physics from Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico’s top private university; an MSc in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering from Syracuse University, New York, USA; a PhD in Administration from the Molson School of Business, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada. He has been teaching and conducting research at Sprott since 1998.
Dr. Ramirez is not currently accepting MSc or PhD students.
