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Current Doctoral Students
Current PhD students advised by Laurel Cook
I find deep meaning and joy in working with students in master’s and doctoral programs, particularly through mentorship that emphasizes curiosity, collaboration, and research innovation. Teaching my research methods doctoral seminar and coauthoring work with PhD students has been among the most rewarding parts of my academic career. I am especially proud of collaborative work with doctoral students published in outlets including the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, Journal of Services Marketing, Journal of Consumer Marketing, and the Journal of Consumer Affairs. Methodologically, my work is rooted primarily in experimental research, while also incorporating complementary approaches such as secondary data analysis, field experiments, and qualitative methods when they best serve the research question. I find it especially rewarding to support students who have gone on to faculty positions of their own. I greatly value graduate training as a shared journey grounded in guidance, intellectual partnership, and mutual growth.
Atsuko Bealmear Ph.D. Candidate 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
Pingping Gan Ph.D. Candidate 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 published in the Journal of Consumer Affairs.
Previous Doctoral Students
Are you interested 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) across the world. Currently, there are 112 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 tracking tool offered by Dr. Margaret Echelbarger (Stony Brook University). 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 is available. How much does a marketing Ph.D. pay? Placement and salary information is reported in the AMA’s ‘Who Went Where’ survey. 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 (i.e., usually after the first two 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 (e.g., mine was 194 pages).
Information on applying for a marketing PhD
Former doctoral students and placements
Resources for Current or Prospective Ph.D. Students
Resources for prospective PhD students
Joshua Dorsey, Ph.D. Florida International University (profile) Joshua has a vested interest in facilitating the well-being of consumers, by embracing the union of marketing and psychology, and sociology. Using the knowledge of how cognition, emotions, and environments influence decision-making, his research facilitates positive outcomes for multiple types of well-being and empowerment. Health care financial decision-making continues to be his primary research focus. Dissertation Committee Member
Raika Sadeghein, Ph.D. University of Richmond (profile) Raika and I began working together shortly after we both arrived at WVU. Our work, “The Effects of Perceived Scarcity on Financial Decision-Making,” has been published in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing. For her dissertation, Raika studied the constructs of shame and guilt. Using an experimental approach, Raika tested how rhetorical and narrative appeals are more effective with shame or guilt-based consumer interventions. Dissertation Committee Member
Farnoush Reshadi, Ph.D. Worcester Polytechnic Institute (profile) Farnoush and I began working together in ‘18 for her dissertation. Her research was 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. Eastern Kentucky University (profile) Lixun and I share an interest in consumers’ perceptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Together 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 (profile) 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 conducted a field experiment (our first!) to see how our predictions measure up in the retail environment. Elvira also worked for the Ministry of Health Resorts and Tourism of Crimea, Ukraine.
Elizabeth Gratz, Ph.D. St. Bonaventure University (profile) Elizabeth and I worked on a research project with Dr. Emily Tanner (WVU). Specifically, we examined 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. Her dissertation work on disability inclusion and empowerment continues to be a primary research focus.
Caitlin Michael, Ph.D. Saint Vincent College (profile) Caitlin and I began working together in 2022 during my Research Methods doctoral seminar as she prepared for her dissertation. That research considered two important 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? Today, she continues to study well-being, prosocial behaviors, and donation communications.
Doctoral student mentorship and advising Graduate Students
I find deep meaning and joy in working with students in master’s and doctoral programs, particularly through mentorship that emphasizes curiosity, collaboration, and research innovation. Teaching my research methods doctoral seminar and coauthoring work with PhD students has been among the most rewarding parts of my academic career. I find it especially rewarding to support students who have gone on to faculty positions of their own. I greatly value graduate training as a shared journey grounded in guidance, intellectual partnership, and mutual growth.
Graduate Students
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© 2013-2026 Laurel Aynne Cook
Laurel-Cook.com
Current Doctoral Students
Atsuko Bealmear Doctoral candidate at WVU studying instructional design and technology. We collaborate on digital marketing courses to examine how technology shapes student learning outcomes.
Pingping Gan Doctoral candidate at Iowa State University focusing on sharenting and consumer vulnerability. Our work was published in the Journal of Consumer Affairs.
Caitlin Michael, Ph.D. Saint Vincent College (profile) Began working with me during her doctoral methods training. Her research explores diversity in advertising, consumer well-being, prosocial behavior, and donations.
Joshua Dorsey, Ph.D. Florida International University (profile) Researches consumer well-being at the intersection of marketing, psychology, and sociology, with a primary focus on health care financial decision-making.
Previous Doctoral Students
Raika Sadeghein, Ph.D. University of Richmond (profile) Former WVU collaborator and JPP&M coauthor studying financial scarcity, shame, and guilt. Her dissertation experimentally tested narrative appeals in consumer interventions.
Farnoush Reshadi, Ph.D. Worcester Polytechnic Institute (profile) Collaborator since 2018 whose research centers on consumer health care spending, social norms, and financial decision-making, with publications in top marketing journals.
Lixun Su, Ph.D. Eastern Kentucky University (profile) Studies consumer responses to CSR across cultures. Our joint work compares American and Chinese perceptions and explores international firm strategies.
Elvira Kizilova, Ph.D. Dominican University (profile) Coauthor on nutrition labeling research presented at the Marketing & Public Policy Conference. Our field experiment examined how shoppers process front-of-package information.
Elizabeth Gratz, Ph.D. St. Bonaventure University (profile) Collaborated on research examining misinformation and vulnerability in food labeling contexts. Her dissertation focuses on disability inclusion and empowerment.
Grad Student Resources
Interested in a Ph.D. in Marketing? Preparation begins months before December deadlines, including taking the GMAT and identifying programs using the American Marketing Association’s Ph.D. listings. Doctoral training culminates in a dissertation (i.e., a large, original research project completed after coursework) while resources like The PhD Project provide critical community and support for underrepresented scholars. Salary info is in the ‘Who Went Where’ survey, from AMA.