2025-2026 Webcast Lecture Series
Using Agentic Coding Tools
Dr. Justin Frake
Friday, February 20 | Noon – 1:15 PM ET
Abstract
Many social scientists interact with large language models primarily through chat interfaces, copying and pasting code between a browser and their IDE. Agentic coding tools like Claude Code, Codex, and Gemini CLI offer a fundamentally different workflow: they operate directly in the researcher’s file system, maintain project context, and execute multi-step tasks autonomously. This webcast will introduce these tools, explain their advantages over chatbot interfaces for empirical research, and provide practical guidance on getting started. The talk will also address uses beyond coding, including drafting and reviewing papers, building presentations, and managing other research tasks. Best practices and lessons learned from sustained use of these tools will be discussed throughout.
Dr. Justin Frake
Biography
I am an Assistant Professor of Strategy at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and an Associate Editor at Management Science. I study how individual perceptions and preferences shape organizational outcomes—often in unexpected ways. My research focuses on strategic human capital, stakeholder perceptions, organizational misconduct, and causal inference. My work has been published in Management Science, Organization Science, Strategic Management Journal, and Marketing Science.
I currently teach Strategy 502 (Corporate Strategy, MBA) and STRAT 898 (Causal Inference Methods, PhD).
