Maryland Smith Marketing Faculty Recognized for Research, Mentoring

The marketing department at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business was recently recognized for prolific research over the last decade by the American Marketing Association (AMA), a leading industry organization. Individual faculty members were recognized for their contributions and for outstanding mentorship to students and junior scholars.

The rankings are part of AMA’s 2020 Marketing Research Productivity Lists, tracking individual and institutional contributions to the top academic journals, based on data from the University of Texas Dallas Top 100 Business School Research Ranking. This year’s lists cover research published from 2011 to 2020. As a department, Maryland Smith’s marketing faculty ranked No. 3 for number of articles published in top AMA journals, and No. 6 for research published in all top marketing journals.

Maryland Smith’s P.K. Kannan, the Dean’s Chair in Marketing Science, ranked No. 6 among all marketing faculty for the number of research articles published in journals on the AMA Premier Journals List. He ranked No. 11 for research published in journals on AMA’s Overall Premier Marketing Journals List. Kannan’s research explores marketing modeling and applying statistical, econometric, machine learning and AI methods to marketing data. His current research stream focuses on digital marketing.

Smith’s Michel Wedel, a Distinguished University Professor and the PepsiCo Chair in Consumer Science, was also named No. 30 on the AMA Premier Journals list. Wedel researches consumer behavior to improve marketing decision making, most recently focusing on measuring the effectiveness of visual marketing using eye-tracking technology.

The American Marketing Association’s Retail and Pricing Special Interest Group also recognized Jie Zhang, a marketing professor and the Harvey Sanders Fellow of Retail Management, as an “outstanding mentor to doctoral students and junior scholars.” Zhang, also a prolific researcher who focuses on retail strategies and consumer purchase behavior, has been recognized with numerous teaching awards for her work with students. She will be recognized for the award during AMA’s virtual 2021 Winter Academic Conference, which begins on Feb. 17.