Julia van de Sandt | Chair
Pronoun- She/her/hers | Country of origin- Germany
Julia is a fourth-year PhD Candidate in Marketing at the University of South Carolina, specializing in Consumer Behavior. Her research delves into perceptual dimensions of sustainability, product materials, and consumer well-being. For about a decade before academia, Julia thrived in analytical roles across consumer packaging, cruise tourism, and retail. She enjoys playing pickleball with her PhD friends, and cheering for USC (Go Cocks!). Fun fact: Julia is German but her last name is Dutch.
Email: julia.vandesandt@grad.moore.sc.edu
Ishita Nagpal | Chair-Elect
Pronoun- She/her/hers | Country of origin- India
Ishita is a third-year doctoral student in Marketing at J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University. Her research interests centered on the intersection of marketing strategy and the social impact of marketing. Passionate about supporting fellow doctoral students, she has been serving DocSIG for over two years. Her dedication and service have been recognized with the Outstanding Service Award at Georgia State University.
Email: inagpal1@gsu.edu
Danielle Hass | Vice Chair of Online Engagement
Pronouns- She/her | Country of origin- United States
Danielle Hass is currently a third-year Ph.D. student at West Virginia University.
Her research focuses on consumer behavior, specifically in digital marketing, brand communities, consumer privacy, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Email: dlh00029@mix.wvu.edu
Francesco Di Paolo | Assistant Vice Chair of Online Engagement
Pronoun- He | Country of origin- Italy
Francesco is a PhD Candidate and Metaverse Marketing Lab Coordinator at Politecnico di Milano School of Management, Department of Management Economics and Industrial Engineering.
My doctoral thesis focuses on framing the impact of virtual environments on brand management and business innovation.
Email: francesco.dipaolo@polimi.it
Kaixin (Kathy) Huang | Vice Chair of Communications
Pronoun- Kathy | Country of origin- China
Kathy is a third-year doctoral student in Marketing at Georgia State University, J. Mack Robinson College of Business. Her research interests are focused within the areas of consumer behavior. She completed her graduate and undergraduate studies at the University of South Florida.
Email: khuang18@gsu.edu
Zahra (Safa) Karami | Assistant Vice Chair of Communications
Pronouns- She/her | Country of origin- Iran
Safa is a committed PhD candidate at University of Wyoming, College of Business specializing in the integration of sales and entrepreneurship. Her academic journey is supported by an MBA in Marketing and over 15 years of extensive experience in management, sales, and marketing across diverse sectors, including veterinary food and supplements, fashion and clothing, food production, telecommunications, and sports management. Her expertise encompasses sales, strategic planning, market analysis, and cultivating strong client relationships.
Email: zkarami@uwyo.edu
Anuja Bhattacharjya | Vice Chair of Content Management
Pronouns- She/her | Country of origin- India
Anuja is a 4th year PhD candidate in Marketing at FGV EASP, São Paulo. Her research focuses on the diverse applications of sensory marketing in consumer behaviour, especially vision and haptics, in the digitally-driven world.
She also has prior experience of working in roles involving content management, communication, branding and marketing strategy.
She currently lives on São Paulo with her husband and 2 cats.
Email: Anuja.b93@gmail.com
Ifeanyi Ajaebili | Assistant Vice Chair of Content Management
Pronouns- He/him | Country of origin- Nigeria
Ifeanyi is a second-year doctoral student at the Morgan State University, Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management.
He had his MBA from Lagos Business School and his industry experience span digital marketing, sales, brand management, management consulting and growth hacking.
His research interests are in the nexus between technology and online consumer behavior including quantitative modelling.
Email: ifaja1@morgan.edu
Xiaoying Feng | Vice Chair of Special Projects & Partnerships
Pronoun- She | Country of origin- China
Xiaoying is a fourth-year doctoral student in marketing at Syracuse University.
Her research interests include advertising effectiveness, technology adoption, and customer experience.
Previously, she worked in a higher education non-profit organization, focusing on marketing communication.
Email: xfeng26@syr.edu
Amir Alisha Syed | Assistant Vice Chair of Special Projects & Partnerships
Pronoun- He | Country of Origin- India
Amir Alisha Syed is a second-year doctoral student in Marketing at the University of Kansas. With over 8 years of experience in marketing, sales, and the education sectors, he has served in various roles such as Program Manager, Academic Associate, and Content Editor at the Indian School of Business (ISB). Amir holds an MBA in International Business and Information Technology from Punjab, India. His research interests lie at the intersection of marketing and technology, including areas such as digital marketing, consumer behavior in online environments, the impact of emerging technologies on marketing strategies, and data-driven marketing analytics.
Email: syedamir@ku.edu
Mackenzie Volk | Vice Chair of Member Engagement
Pronouns- She/her | Country of origin- United States
Ghazal Alaviani | Assistant Vice Chair of Member Engagement
Pronoun- She | Country of Origin- Iran
Sameed Khan | Vice Chair of Scholarly Insights
Pronoun- Him | Country of origin- Pakistan
Sameed Babar Khan is a fourth-year Marketing Ph.D. student at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. His primary research interest is language in the marketplace.
Before his Ph.D., he got his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) in Pakistan.
Email: Sameed_Khan@uml.edu
Daria Koksal | Assistant Vice Chair of Scholarly Insights
Pronouns- She/her/hers | Country of origin- Russia
Daria got her bachelor’s degree in Engineering Management from Bauman Moscow State Technical University in Russia and completed her MBA at Mississippi State University. Before joining the LA Tech family, she worked in civil aviation, then as the Lead Graduate Coordinator for the MBA Program where she assisted with the AACSB accreditation in the College of Business at Louisiana State University in Shreveport.
Her current research interests revolve around consumer behavior. She is specifically interested in minimalism, consumers’ relationships with brands, and how aesthetics affects consumer decisions.
Email: dko005@email.latech.edu
Reza Pedarpour | Vice Chair of Research (Who Went Where Research)
Pronouns- He/him
Reza Pedarpour is a third-year doctoral student in Marketing at Kent State University, Ambassador Crawford College of Business.
His primary research areas are brand name gender, anthropomorphism in marketing, and comparative advertising.
Email: rpedarpo@kent.edu
Praveen Punia | Vice Chair of Research (Productivity Research)
Pronouns- He/him
Praveen Punia is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in Marketing at the University of Houston, specializing in career transitions, salesforce management, and salesforce incentives.
As an empirical researcher, he employs econometric and causal inference methods to provide actionable insights that can inform both academic discourse and practical applications in the field of marketing.
Email: ppraveen@cougarnet.uh.edu
Brittany Beck | Immediate Past Chair
Brittany is an assistant professor at Appalachian State University. She recently completed her Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) in Marketing at Louisiana Tech University. She has served DocSIG for over three years and is passionate about helping doctoral students succeed in their doctoral programs and ongoing careers. Her research interests include digital marketing, social commerce, identity, consumer privacy, and well-being. She also serves in the At-Large position in the Marketing for Higher Education SIG
Email: bbb019@latech.edu
Dr. Mathew Joseph | Faculty Mentor to DocSiG
Dr. Mathew Joseph is the Emil C.E. Jurica Distinguished Professor of Marketing at the Greehey School of Business, St. Mary’s University. He is the author of a number of articles in the areas of cross-cultural marketing, service quality, marketing strategy, health care marketing, electronic marketing, service technology, international advertising and promotion, marketing to Asia and Latin American, and marketing education. He is the Vice-Chair of the Marketing for Higher Education SIG and also serves as a faculty mentor to the Doctoral Student SIG.
Email: mjoseph4@stmarytx.edu