Paul McDonagh-Smith is a Senior Lecturer in Information Technology at the MIT Sloan School of Management. In his research and teaching, Paul creates key intersection points between technology and business. He specializes in translating computer and data science into measurable business value that evolves organizational capability, transformation, and strategy.
He is the Faculty Director on MIT Sloan’s, ‘Accelerating Digital Transformation with Algorithmic Business Thinking’, and ‘Digital Learning Strategy’ programs. As an early pioneer in Digital Reality, Paul has successfully invented and innovated with Extended Reality (XR) and metaverse technologies across multiple industries for more than 20 years and is Faculty Director on MIT Sloan’s, ‘Business Implications of Extended Reality (XR): Harnessing the Value of AR, VR. Metaverse, and More’ program. Paul also teaches in, and contributes to, a wide range of MIT Sloan Executive Education programs.
McDonagh-Smith is also the MIT Sloan Office of Executive Education Digital Capability Leader. In this role, he directs the growing portfolio of digital programs, works with the MIT Sloan team to define digital strategy, and drives transformative technology experimentation.
His recent innovations include harnessing artificial intelligence and machine learning; XR and robotics to build and bring to market a series of digital collaboration products and platforms.
Through close collaboration with Faculty, Labs, and Schools across MIT, as well as an extensive global network of industry partners, Paul’s approach to entrepreneurship is built upon a bias for practical action. More technology ‘presentist’ than technology ‘futurist’, Paul enables teams to invent their future, starting today.
He provides digital transformation, business model and strategy guidance to organizations across multiple industries and geographies as well as to a range of international government departments.
Prior to MIT, Paul held senior roles in Optical Network Systems Engineering, R&D, Emerging Products and Technology, Business Transformation and Human Resources during a 20-year career in the telecoms industry.
Paul is an advisor to NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, under the supervision of chief scientist, Dr. James B. Garvin.
