I am a PhD candidate in the Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Strategic Management (TIES) group at the MIT Sloan School of Management, where I have been recognized as an MIT Presidential Fellow and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow.

I am on the 2025-2026 job market.

I study how management and organizational systems shape performance and innovation. 

I hold an AB in sociology with highest honors from Harvard University, where I also earned graduate certificates in data science and business, and an SM in Management Research from MIT. I completed my Cordeiro Fellowship at the University of Cambridge.

Working papers

Nguyen CA. When Low Performance Takes Root: Deadwood and Delay at the U.S. Patent Office. (Job market paper)

Nguyen CA. The Value Added of Innovation Managers: Evidence from the National Institutes of Health.

  • Robert J. Litschert Best Doctoral Student Paper Award, Strategic Management (STR) Division, Academy of Management (AOM), 2025.

  • Distinguished Paper Award in Organizational Structure, Networks, and Relational Strategies, STR Division, AOM, 2025.

  • AOM Best Paper Proceedings, 2025.

Nguyen CA. Do Externally Hired Managers Increase Innovation? Evidence from the U.S. Government.

Nguyen CA. Legitimizing the Loophole: How Organizations Shape the Meaning of Work. (In preparation)

Nguyen CA, Chernew ME, Landrum MB. Can Machine Learning Reduce the Burden of Quality Measurement?

selected publications

Nguyen CA, Beaulieu ND, Wright AA, Cutler DM, Keating NL, Landrum MB. Organization of Cancer Specialists in U.S. Physician Practices and Health Systems. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2023; 41(26):4226-4235.

Nguyen CA, Gilstrap LG, Chernew ME, McWilliams JM, Landon BE, Landrum MB. Using Consistently Low Performance to Identify Low-Quality Physician Groups. JAMA Network Open. 2021; 4(7):e2117954.

Nguyen CA (corresponding author), Chernew ME, Ostrer I, Beaulieu ND. Comparison of Healthcare Delivery Systems in Low- and High-Income Communities. The American Journal of Accountable Care. 2019; 7(4):11-18. (Lead article)

Nguyen CA, Gilstrap LG, Chernew ME, McWilliams JM, Landon BE, Landrum MB. Social Risk Adjustment of Quality Measures for Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease in a Commercially-Insured US Population. JAMA Network Open. 2019; 2(3):e190838.