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Current Doctoral Students

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Raika Sadeghein, Ph.D. Placement: University of Richmond (Joined 2019) Raika and I began working together shortly after we both arrived at WVU in ‘14. Our work, “The Effects of Perceived Scarcity on Financial Decision-Making,” has recently been published in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing. Currently, Raika is working on her dissertation where she studies the constructs of shame and guilt. Using an experimental approach, Raika tests how rhetorical and narrative appeals are more effective with shame or guilt-based consumer interventions. Dissertation Committee Member

Caitlin Michael Ph.D. Candidate (Joined 2020) Caitlin and I began working together this year in preparation for her dissertation. Her recent research is concerned with addressing the following two research questions: do advertisements that display diverse individuals have positive effects on consumer well-being outcomes? Do advertisements that display diverse individuals have positive effects on brand outcomes?

Pingping Gan Ph.D. Candidate (Joined 2018) Pingping is a doctoral candidate in the Ivy College of Business at Iowa State University. She and I met during the 2021 Transformative Consumer Research (TCR) conference when she joined my ‘Sharenting’ research track. Our work, “Sharenting in an Evolving Digital World: The Intersection of Online Connection and Consumer Vulnerability,” was recently published in the Journal of Consumer Affairs. We continue to work together on sharenting-related research.

Previous Doctoral Students

Resources for Ph.D. Students or Potential Applicants

Are you interesting in pursuing a Ph.D. in marketing? With an average grad school application deadline of December, you’ll need to begin preparation months in advance. I recommend taking the GMAT exam (here are two free practice exams) early to get a baseline score (ranging from 200 to 800). For most doctoral programs, you’ll need at least a 650-700. You’ll also need to look at schools with PhD programs in marketing. The American Marketing Association (AMA) offers a nice listing (for Ph.D. and D.B.A. degrees) here. There are 105 institutions in the US, including our Marketing Ph.D. program at WVU. There is also a wonderful resource, called the “Marketing PhD Admissions Guide,” offered by Dr. Scott Cowley (Western Michigan University). To keep up with grad school applications, here’s a helpful tool offered by Dr. Margaret Echelbarger (University of Chicago & #100DaysOfWriting community founder). Once you join a doctoral program, I strongly encourage you to consider the AMA ‘Doctoral Student’ special interest group (DocSig.org). There is another exceptional resource that helps Black/African-Americans, Hispanic/LatinX, and Native Americans attain their business PhD. Established in 1994, the PhD Project (ThePhDProject.Org) was founded upon the premise that advancements in workplace diversity could be propelled forward by increasing the diversity of business school faculty. Network support and financial support (for DSA Summer Conferences) is available. The latest AACSB salary data (i.e., after you earn your degree) is available here. Finally, if you’d like an at-a-glance view of my dissertation (for reference), click on the image below. You can expect your dissertation to be a large-scale research project worked on after your doctoral coursework is completed (usually in the 3rd and 4th years of your Ph.D. program). The full dissertation is published by your degree-conferring institution and will be the greatest project (in size) you will ever write in your career (mine was 194 pages).

Joshua Dorsey, Ph.D. Placement: California State University, Fullerton (Joined 2017) Joshua has a vested interest in facilitating the well-being — financial, social, psychological, physical — of consumers, by embracing the intersection of marketing and psychology or sociology. Using the knowledge of how our cognitions, emotions, and environments influence our decision-making, we can facilitate positive outcomes for multiple types of well-being and allow consumers to become empowered. At the moment, health care financial decision-making continues to be his primary research focus. Dissertation Committee Member

Farnoush Reshadi, Ph.D. Placement: Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Joined 2020) Farnoush and I began working together in 2018 in preparation for her dissertation. Her research is focused in the area of consumer financial decision- making, specifically regarding consumer healthcare spending & social norms. She continues to focus on studying how consumers make financial and health- related decisions and has been published in marketing’s top journals. Dissertation Committee Member

Lixun Su, Ph.D. Placement: Eastern Kentucky University (Joined 2020) Lixun and I share an interest in consumers’ perceptions of corporate social responsibility initiatives. With Dr. Xuebing “Selby” Dong (Shanghai University), we’ve explored and experimental tested differences in perceptions between American and Chinese consumers. Lixun’s research also explores international firms’ capabilities and strategies.

Elvira Kizilova, Ph.D. Placement: Dominican University (Joined 2021) Elvira presented our work, “Direct and Indirect Processing Effects of Front-of- Package Labels,” at the Marketing & Public Policy conference in Washington D.C. Our research tests multiple routes (e.g., conscious, subconscious) that nutrition- related information can use as processing occurs for shoppers. We also wrapped up a field experiment (our first!) to see how our predictions measure up in the retail environment.

Elizabeth Gratz, Ph.D. Placement: St. Bonaventure University (Joined 2022) Elizabeth and I are working on a research project with Dr. Emily Tanner (WVU). Specifically, we examine a situation (rbST milk labeling) that breeds information asymmetry, misinformation, and creates a significant burden for producers. With marketplace practices outpacing regulatory intent, consumers who rely on product label to inform their choices may be unknowingly vulnerable.

Atsuko Bealmear Ph.D. Candidate (Joined 2021) Atsuko is a doctoral candidate in the Center for Applied Human Science at West Virginia University. Her dissertation centers around instructional design and technology and we have been working together since 2022. As a member of her dissertation committee, she & I work together in several undergraduate-level digital marketing courses to study the effects of technology on a variety of learning outcomes. Dissertation Committee Member

Designed and built by Laurel Aynne Cook © Laurel Aynne Cook 2024

Current Doctoral Students

Raika Sadeghein, Ph.D. University of Richmond (Joined 2019) Raika and I began working together shortly after we both arrived at WVU in ‘14. Our work, “The Effects of Perceived Scarcity on Financial Decision-Making,” has recently been published in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing. Currently, Raika is working on her dissertation where she studies the constructs of shame and guilt. Using an experimental approach, Raika tests how rhetorical and narrative appeals are more effective with shame or guilt- based consumer interventions. Dissertation Committee Member

Previous Doctoral Students

Joshua Dorsey, Ph.D. California State University, Fullerton (Joined 2017) Joshua has a vested interest in facilitating the well-being — financial, social, psychological, physical — of consumers, by embracing the intersection of marketing and psychology or sociology. Using the knowledge of how our cognitions, emotions, and environments influence our decision-making, we can facilitate positive outcomes for multiple types of well-being and allow consumers to become empowered. At the moment, health care financial decision-making continues to be his primary research focus. Dissertation Committee Member

Lixun Su, Ph.D. Eastern Kentucky University (Joined 2020) Lixun and I share an interest in consumers’ perceptions of corporate social responsibility initiatives. With Dr. Xuebing “Selby” Dong (Shanghai University), we’ve explored and experimental tested differences in perceptions between American and Chinese consumers. Lixun’s research also explores international firms’ capabilities and strategies.

Elvira Kizilova, Ph.D. Dominican University (Joined 2021) Elvira presented our work, “Direct and Indirect Processing Effects of Front-of- Package Labels,” at the Marketing & Public Policy conference in Washington D.C. Our research tests multiple routes (e.g., conscious, subconscious) that nutrition- related information can use as processing occurs for shoppers. We also wrapped up a field experiment (our first!) to see how our predictions measure up in the retail environment.

Elizabeth Gratz, Ph.D. St. Bonaventure University (Joined 2022) Elizabeth and I are working on a research project with Dr. Emily Tanner (WVU). Specifically, we examine a situation (rbST milk labeling) that breeds information asymmetry, misinformation, and creates a significant burden for producers. With marketplace practices outpacing regulatory intent, consumers who rely on product label to inform their choices may be unknowingly vulnerable.

Farnoush Reshadi, Ph.D. Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Joined 2020) Farnoush and I began working together in 2018 in preparation for her dissertation. Her research is focused in the area of consumer financial decision-making, specifically regarding consumer healthcare spending & social norms. She continues to focus on studying how consumers make financial and health-related decisions. Dissertation Committee Member