Paola Cecchi-Dimeglio, Ph.D., J.D., LL.M., M.Sc.  is a globally recognized expert in AI, Big Data, behavioral science, and talent analytics. For the last two decades, she advises Fortune 500 executives, global law firms, and public institutions on using data (AI and Big Data) and behavioral insights to improve decision-making, build high-performing teams, and drive future-ready talent strategies.

At Harvard University, she holds dual appointments at the Law School and the Kennedy School of Government, where she chairs the ELRIWMA Initiative. Her research applies AI and Big Data to leadership, decision science, and workforce transformation.

As CEO of People Culture Data Consulting Group, she leads a global behavioral-science and AI firm and invented I.D.E.A., a patented platform that advances fairness and transparency in performance and succession systems.

Dr. Cecchi-Dimeglio co-chairs the UN ITU Global Initiative on AI and Virtual Worlds and advises the World Bank, European Commission, and U.S. EEOC.

She is the author of Diversity Dividend (MIT Press, 2023) and Building a Thriving Future: Metaverse and Multiverse (MIT Press, 2025). Her work has earned recognition from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and a 2017 Azbee Award of Excellence. She has authored over 70 peer-reviewed publications and contributes regularly to Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Management Review, Forbes, and other outlets.