Assist. Prof. Dr. Shaohui Lei | Service AI | Best Researcher Award

Dr, Southwest Jiaotong University, China.

Dr. Shaohui Lei is an Assistant Professor at the School of Economics and Management, Southwest Jiaotong University, China. His research specializes in service marketing, consumer behavior, and technology-enabled service interactions, particularly focusing on the behavioral impact of artificial intelligence in service environments. He has authored impactful articles in prestigious journals including Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Service Research, Applied Psychology, Journal of Business Research, and International Journal of Hospitality Management. Dr. Lei’s interdisciplinary research uniquely blends behavioral science, marketing theory, and AI technology, addressing timely issues such as customer misbehavior in robotized service settings. His work continues to advance the frontier of human-AI interaction and its implications for ethical, psychological, and practical aspects of modern service economies.

🌐Author Profile

🏆 Strengths for the Award

  1. Focused Expertise in Service Marketing & Consumer Behavior
    Dr. Lei’s research centers on timely and high-impact areas such as service robot personas, customer misbehavior, and ethical consumer interactions—critical to both academic inquiry and real-world service industries.

  2. Publications in High-Impact Journals
    His work has appeared in prestigious peer-reviewed journals such as:

    • Journal of Business Ethics

    • Journal of Service Research

    • Applied Psychology

    • Journal of Business Research

    • International Journal of Hospitality Management

    • Journal of Product & Brand Management
      This reflects scholarly credibility and sustained contributions to his field.

  3. Innovative and Interdisciplinary Research
    The study “Servant” versus “Partner”: Investigating the effect of service robot personas on customer misbehavior demonstrates a forward-thinking integration of AI, robotics, and behavioral marketing, offering novel insights into human-machine interaction.

  4. Global Relevance and Practical Applications
    His research addresses consumer behavior patterns that are increasingly relevant in a tech-driven global service economy, particularly amid the rise of AI and automation in retail and hospitality sectors.

🎓 Education 

Shaohui Lei completed his academic training with a focus on management science and behavioral research. While the exact institutions and degree progression are not detailed in the CV, his academic path reflects rigorous preparation in marketing, consumer psychology, and applied economics. He has developed a strong academic foundation enabling cross-disciplinary contributions at the intersection of management and emerging service technologies. His education likely includes a PhD in a relevant domain—such as Business Administration, Marketing, or Psychology—and postgraduate specialization in service operations and behavior. This academic trajectory supports his current research output, which integrates empirical methods with theoretical frameworks to study customer behavior in technologically mediated environments.

🔬 Research Focus on Service AI

Dr. Lei’s research explores the intersection of service marketing, consumer behavior, and artificial intelligence, focusing on how consumers interact with AI-driven service technologies like robots and virtual agents. He investigates customer misbehavior, perception, and trust in service contexts shaped by human-machine dynamics. His studies offer insights into how robot personas (e.g., servant vs. partner roles) affect customer behavior, with implications for designing AI interactions that balance efficiency, ethics, and user satisfaction. His research also addresses psychological drivers behind unethical or deviant behaviors in service encounters. Dr. Lei leverages experimental designs and behavioral modeling to produce actionable knowledge that supports AI deployment in retail, hospitality, and public services. This line of inquiry contributes both to theory development and managerial decision-making in an increasingly digitized service landscape.

📚Publication Top Notes

“Servant” versus “Partner”: Investigating the Effect of Service Robot Personas on Customer Misbehavior

  • Authors: Shaohui Lei

  • Published In: Journal of Business Research

  • Summary:
    This article examines how the assigned role of a service robot—whether perceived as a “servant” or a “partner”—influences customer misbehavior. Using behavioral experiments, Dr. Lei and colleagues uncover that customers are more likely to act disrespectfully or abusively toward robots that adopt a submissive “servant” persona. In contrast, partner-like robots foster mutual respect and reduce misconduct. The findings illuminate the psychological and ethical dimensions of AI-driven service experiences and provide actionable design recommendations for businesses integrating robots into frontline operations. This work contributes to service marketing, ethical AI design, and human-robot interaction literature.

Conclusion

Dr. Shaohui Lei is a highly suitable candidate for the Best Researcher Award, particularly in fields intersecting consumer behavior, service marketing, and technology-enabled service environments. His robust publication record in top-tier journals, combined with his innovative focus on ethical and behavioral implications of service automation, mark him as a thought leader in his domain. With strategic

Shaohui Lei | Service AI | Best Researcher Award

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