On November 23, Adam Brandenburger—Director of the Program on Creativity + Innovation (PCI), Area Head of Economics, Global Network Professor at NYU Shanghai, Director of the Stern-Shanghai MS Programs, J.P. Valles Professor at NYU Stern, and Distinguished Professor at NYU Tandon—was honored with the 2024 Shanghai Magnolia Silver Award for his contributions to the city’s development. He is the seventh member of the NYU Shanghai community to receive this prestigious recognition.
Established in 1989 and named after Shanghai’s city flower, the Magnolia Silver Award recognizes foreigners for outstanding social, economic, and cultural contributions to the city. This year, Brandenburger was among 50 awardees from fields such as commerce, finance, technology, education, healthcare, culture, sports and agriculture.
“I feel very humbled and grateful,” Brandenburger said. “It means a lot to know that my work for young people at NYU Shanghai is valued, and I hope to keep contributing in the same way.”
Since joining in 2014, Brandenburger has drawn on nearly 40 years in academia to foster innovative mindsets. PCI, which merges theory with practice and combines higher education with an openness to experimentation, has earned widespread acclaim among students and institutions globally.
PCI courses are highly popular among NYU Shanghai students from diverse majors and interests. Currently, over 20% of students are enrolled in one or more PCI course, with many achieving prestigious awards in domestic and international innovation and entrepreneurship competitions.
This year, Brandenburger assumed the role of Director of the Stern-Shanghai Master’s Programs, building on his involvement with the NYU Shanghai’s Master of Science in Organization Management and Strategy (OMS) in 2022.
A world-renowned scholar in game theory and pioneer of the “epistemic” approach to the field, Brandenburger is known for his 1996 book Co-opetition, which profoundly influenced the world of business strategy. This year, the book was reprinted and published in a Chinese translation.