Isenberg Faculty Advance Groundbreaking Research

Between publishing in and serving in editorial roles for top journals, hosting international conferences, and influencing business practice, faculty at the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst have shown their commitment to advancing knowledge across business disciplines during the 2024-2025 academic year.  

“The contributions of our faculty underscore the Isenberg School of Management's dedication to fostering a dynamic, cutting-edge research environment that prepares our graduates to be the next generation of leaders in their fields,” said Dean Anne P. Massey, Thomas O’Brien Endowed Chair. “Our faculty are educators and thought leaders and catalysts for impact.”

One measure of the increasing influence of Isenberg faculty members is the number of publications in premier journals, which has grown substantially in recent years. In 2024 alone, faculty were authors 45 times in premier journals, up 50 percent from 2023.

“Isenberg faculty members are impressive scholars,” said Massey, for whom sustaining faculty excellence is a priority. “Their focus on publishing rigorous, high-impact research ensures that the work done at this school reverberates through the world of business scholarship and improves outcomes in the real world.”

In addition, faculty have received more support at Isenberg as the number of endowed and titled positions has tripled in the past decade, with 28 individuals holding titles as of 2025. Plus, the school  celebrated the grand opening of the Berthiaume Behavioral Research Lab in fall 2024. Equipped with state-of-the-art technologies such as eye tracking, facial expression analysis, and galvanic skin response from iMotions, the lab stands out as the largest of its kind in an academic setting in the Northeast.

Here are some highlights from this academic year:

Chabi-Yo’s Research Adopted by the Bank of England

An option-implied Equity Risk Premium (ERP) estimate (published in the Journal of Financial Economics in 2020) by Fousseni Chabi-Yo, Berthiaume Endowed Professor in Business Administration and Finance Department chair, was integrated into the Bank of England’s risk-monitoring toolkit. This measure will be used alongside other risk premia metrics to assess the risk environment in the United Kingdom and around the globe, providing valuable insights to support policymakers in their evaluations and decision-making processes. An example of its application was published: How stretched are equity prices? Evidence from option-implied estimates of equity risk premia | Bank of England

Tarafdar Appointed Editor-in-Chief of Journal of the Association for Information Systems

Monideepa Tarafdar, Charles J. Dockendorff Endowed Professor in Information Systems, has been named as the editor-in-chief of the Journal of the Association for Information Systems, one of the most respected and established journals in the field. Her appointment began in September 2024. Tarafdar, who was also named an AIS Fellow in December 2024, has published many influential papers concerning the positive and negative impacts of modern technology use and artificial intelligence.

Isenberg Accounting Dept. Hosts International Symposium on Audit Research

The 28th annual International Symposium on Audit Research (ISAR), was hosted by Isenberg’s Accounting Department June 29 and 30 at the Hilton Boston Park Plaza. The event was a convergence of the brightest minds in audit research and offered approximately 150 attendees an opportunity to explore developments in the field and engage in innovative discussions. 

Isenberg Faculty Among World’s Top 2% Most-Cited Scientists

Isenberg faculty are among the most prestigious researchers in the world, according to Stanford University’s Top 2% Scientists List, published in September. The annual list identifies researchers worldwide who are among the most-cited scientists in their respective fields. 

Inaugural Isenberg School of Management Finance Conference Takes Place

The Department of Finance welcomed almost a hundred luminaries in the field from dozens of academic and financial institutions to discuss topics ranging from corporate governance to the debt ceiling to financial forecasts at the first annual Isenberg School of Management Finance Conference on May 9.  

Nagurney Co-Edits New Book on Disaster Management Research

Anna Nagurney, the Eugene M. Isenberg Chair in Integrative Studies at the Isenberg School of Management, has co-edited the new volume, “Dynamics of Disasters: From Natural Phenomena to Human Activity,” recently published by Springer Nature. Read the announcement.

Uysal Appointed President of International Academy for the Study of Tourism

Muzzo Uysal, Carney Family Endowed Professor in the Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM) Department, has been appointed president of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism through 2026. The academy’s goal is to further the scholarly research and professional investigation of tourism. Its membership is comprised of highly accomplished tourism researchers from around the world. Fellows of the academy are elected to membership based on their scholarly achievements and contributions to the field of tourism. Read more about Professor Uysal’s appointment.

Isenberg Marketing Faculty, Alumni Research Recognized

George Milne, associate dean of research and Edward D. Shirley ’78 endowed professor of marketing, and three Isenberg marketing PhD alumni received the William R. Darden Best Research Paper Methodology Award in May 2024 at the Academy of Marketing Science Conference. Their paper, titled “Brand Privacy Reputation (BPR): Conceptualization, Definition, and Measurement,” was honored as “an outstanding paper that includes rigorous application or advancement of methods or tools related to marketing research.”

The paper, which Milne coauthored with Lauren Labrecque ’10 PhD, Ereni Markos ’10 PhD, and Kunal Swani ’14 PhD, investigated the significant role that technology plays in consumer data privacy and the increasing importance of businesses protecting this data, not only for consumer safety but also to preserve brand reputation. 

Assaf Explores ‘Place Solidarity’ and Tourism in Crisis-stricken Countries

Albert Assaf, the Hadelman Family Faculty Fellow and professor of hospitality and tourism management, conducted research into “place solidarity” and “compassionate tourism,” in collaboration with two Copenhagen Business School professors. In their 2022 paper, “In Times of War: Place Solidarity,” published in Annals of Tourism Research,” Assaf and his co-authors examined tourists' attitudes toward Ukraine's suffering during its ongoing war with Russia. 

Thomson Investigates Brand Nicknames in Marketing Campaigns

Matt Thomson, Charles D. Schewe Faculty Fellow and professor of marketing at Isenberg, and his co-authors investigate whether it is effective for businesses to start using “street” nicknames in their own marketing campaigns. Wall Street Journal published a story March 12, 2025, about the research. (A subscription is required to read the article.)

Lei Studies How Online Consumer Reviews Impact Purchase Decisions

Zhanfei Lei, assistant professor of operations and information management, explores how consumer reviews impact purchase decisions, in a 2021 paper she co-wrote with fellow researchers—“Focus Within or On Others: The Impact of Reviewers’ Attentional Focus on Review Helpfulness,” published in InformationSystems Research. The authors examine how, why, and when online reviews impact the consumer decision-making process, and whether the reviewer’s own experiences affect the perceived helpfulness of the content. Read more about the research.