DBA research · building in public

The Dev Doctor

I'm Francisc I. Balint, designing and evaluating an agentic AI system to help SMEs improve email marketing performance — and deriving a framework for responsible adoption in resource-constrained organisations.

Take the research survey

Takes 7 minutes · confidential · optional contact at the end

Why this research matters

SMEs need email that performs — without enterprise budgets or dedicated teams. This doctorate investigates how agentic AI can help, and what responsible adoption looks like when resources are tight.

  • Research — agentic AI for email marketing in small and mid-sized businesses
  • Artifact — a bounded agent system with human approval gates and auditability
  • Contribution — a practical framework for responsible AI adoption when budget, staff, and time are limited

Research survey

The survey maps how SMEs use email today — setup, self-reported performance, deliverability habits, and attitudes toward AI. It feeds the exploratory phase of the DBA programme. At the end you can optionally leave contact details if you want to hear about a future cohort.

Your business

Registration context, industry, size, and role

Email setup

Platform, list size, sending frequency, and list sources

Performance & deliverability

Self-reported metrics plus a short sender health checklist

AI attitudes

Current use, trust, concerns, and deployment preferences

Contribute to the research

Complete the full survey on the next page. Contact details at the end are optional — you can finish without them, or leave details if you want to hear about future research.

Start the survey

Roadmap

Follow along as the research progresses. I'll update this page and the RSS feed.

  1. Now

    Research survey

    Collecting baseline data on SME email marketing practice, deliverability habits, and AI readiness. Optional cohort contact at the end of the survey.

    In progress
  2. Phase 1

    Literature & system design

    Map the research gap, define agent roles, and design a responsible human-in-the-loop email workflow.

  3. Phase 2

    Cohort fieldwork

    Work with a small group of SMEs to baseline performance, pain points, and adoption constraints.

  4. Phase 3

    Prototype & evaluation

    Build and test an agentic system in real contexts — measuring deliverability, performance, and responsible use.

  5. Phase 4

    Framework & findings

    Publish a practical framework for agentic AI adoption in resource-constrained organisations, plus research outputs.

Stay updated

Published papers and preprints appear on the Research page. Subscribe via RSS for new posts and milestones — no newsletter spam.