Saleh Zakerinia

Saleh Zakerinia joined Friedrich Schiller University Jena in January 2026. He also serves as an Economist in the Department of Laws, Regulations, and Factor Markets at the Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).

His research focuses on innovation and the economics of digitization, with a particular emphasis on artificial intelligence. He examines how firms adopt new technologies, how digitization reshapes work and skill demand, and the resulting implications for productivity and labor markets.

Saleh Zakerinia holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tehran and a master’s degree from the University of California, Davis. He earned his doctorate from Cornell University. Before joining IWH, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Digital Data Design Institute at Harvard Business School.

Research Interests

• innovation
• economics of digitization
• technology management
• firm strategy