Isenberg Welcomes 15 PhD Students in 2026

Chiamaka Echesurum, Accounting

Echesurum holds a bachelor’s degree in banking and finance from the University of Nigeria. Prior to beginning her doctoral studies, Echesurum built an extensive career in the nonprofit sector, including with the Solina Center for International Development and Research (SCIDaR), an organization focused on addressing critical public health challenges in Nigeria, including malaria, polio eradication, HIV/AIDS, and other prevalent health issues, where she designed and implemented financial procedures to strengthen audit processes in alignment with international accounting standards.

She later earned a master’s degree in business analytics from Babson College, and then joined Action Inc., a nonprofit organization where she serves as a senior accountant, managing budgets and financial operations for a range of state and federally funded programs. Beyond her core responsibilities, Chiamaka volunteers with the Training and Education Department at Action Inc., where she supports community instruction in financial literacy through the “Money Matters” program. 

Her current research interests focus on financial statements, fraud detection, and forensic accounting. Outside of her professional and academic pursuits, Echesurum enjoys cooking, watching movies, listening to music, reading, and relaxing.

Zhuoying (Sophia) Lin, Accounting                                                                                                     

Lin holds a master's degree in accounting from Pennsylvania State University and studied economics at Boston University and the City University of Hong Kong. Between her degrees, she worked in corporate banking and accounting, gaining perspective on accounting data from both the user and producer side. That experience shaped her interest in the judgment factors and decision-making processes surrounding accounting information. Outside of academia, she enjoys traveling with family and friends, connecting with nature, exploring new cultures, and trying local food.

Jiayi (Shirley) Xu, Accounting

Xu is originally from Xi’an, China, and currently lives in Braintree, MA. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and English from Xi’an Jiaotong University, as well as a master’s degree in accounting from the National University of Singapore and Bentley University. Prior to beginning her PhD studies, Xu had three years of full-time professional experience, working as an audit associate at PwC Singapore and a tax consultant at EY Boston. She also had an internship experience in financial consulting at Oliver Wyman Singapore. Through these experiences, she worked closely with private equity, hedge fund, banking, and multinational clients, gaining extensive exposure to both IFRS and U.S. GAAP.

Xu’s research interests include business decision-making, auditing, taxation, business ethics, and accounting policy. She enjoys baking, ballet, Pilates, and serving in her church community. She has performed at the local ballet theater and has also served as a children's Sunday school teacher at Citylife Boston Presbyterian Church.

Claire Li, Finance

Li, who is from China, earned her master’s degree in financial mathematics from North Carolina State University in 2024 and her bachelor’s degree from Zhongnan University of Economics and Law in 2023. Her research interests center on AI in finance, asset pricing, and information processing in financial markets, particularly the ways in which technological advancements affect market participants’ beliefs, decision-making, and pricing dynamics. 

Outside of academia, Claire enjoys reading, listening to music, baking, making coffee, and film appreciation. She especially enjoys analyzing cinematic storytelling, visual language, and the ways films reflect human emotions and social dynamics.

Yuxin Shen, Finance

Shen previously received three years of PhD-level training in economics and operations management at Michigan State University.

Her research interests lie in private credit, financial intermediation, and corporate finance.

Nudrat Fariha, Hospitality and Tourism Management

Fariha’s research interests center on revenue management, consumer behavior, service innovation, sustainability, and strategic decision-making within the hospitality and tourism industry. She is particularly interested in understanding how hospitality and tourism organizations can enhance operational performance, create value, and improve customer experiences in an increasingly dynamic global environment.

Fariha recently graduated from the University of Bridgeport, where she earned an MS in business analytics and systems. Prior to pursuing graduate studies in the United States, she completed her BBA at North South University in Dhaka, Bangladesh. 

Her research experience includes co-authoring multiple peer-reviewed studies on corporate fraud detection, financial performance, and the strategic implications of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors. In addition to her research, has served as a revenue management and data analyst intern at LY New York Hotel, where she supported pricing optimization and demand forecasting initiatives. 

Outside of research, Nudrat enjoys traveling, discovering new places and cultures, and creating lasting memories with her family and friends. She values meaningful connections and believes that exploring different perspectives inspires both personal growth and academic curiosity.

Jiayi Wang, Information Systems

Wang was born in Xi’an, a historic Chinese city. She earned a master's degree in marketing science and business analytics from the University of Pittsburgh and a bachelor’s degree in cultural industries management from the Communication University of China. As an enthusiastic and driven person, Wang has enriched her academic journey with practical experience gained through numerous internships and projects.

While pursuing her PhD, Wang is eager to cultivate a research-oriented mindset and is committed to combining her real-world experience with the exploration of research questions. She is open to exploring diverse research directions, and her primary research interest currently lies in understanding how information systems help consumers make wiser decisions and how they can enhance operational efficiency in businesses.

Outside of academia, Jiayi is a big fan of movies and sports. She also enjoys reading and table games.

Kexin Zhao, Information Systems

Zhao, who is from Beijing, earned her bachelor’s degree in investment from the Capital University of Economics and Business and her master’s degree in business analytics from the University of Rochester. After graduating, she joined KPH Healthcare Services in East Syracuse, NY, as a data solutions analyst, leveraging Python and SQL to build automation tools and analytical pipelines. While collaborating with decision makers and participating in research projects on medical data and system stability, Zhao became fascinated by how small changes in data processing can drastically alter algorithmic outcomes and user trust. Now pursuing her PhD in management information systems, she focuses on human–AI interaction and algorithmic trust, particularly within healthcare settings. Outside of her studies, Zhao loves dancing, playing the piano, practicing Pilates, and heading to the slopes for snowboarding in the winter.

Habib Ullah Baig, Operations Management

Baig comes from Pakistan and brings with him a diverse background spanning data science, business analytics, and engineering. Before joining the PhD program at Isenberg, he earned his MS in business analytics from UMass Amherst and worked as a research assistant at the Isenberg School of Management. His work focuses on leveraging data, analytics, and technology to improve decision-making, optimize processes, and solve complex business problems. He remains open to exploring other areas within operations research and is interested in applying analytical approaches to a broad range of operational and business challenges. 

Beyond work and research, Baig is an avid sports enthusiast with a particular passion for rowing and basketball. Fun fact—he can play more than nine different sports.

Yucheng Yao, Operations Management

Yucheng Yao is from Nanjing, China. She holds two master's degrees from Boston University—an MS in applied business analytics and an MS in financial management—and a bachelor's degree from Western University in Canada. She previously worked as a financial analyst at Columbus Trading Partners in Boston and served as a research assistant at Boston University's Decision Sciences Research Lab. Her research interests include healthcare operations, supply chain resilience, and optimization methods for public health resource allocation. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, traveling, and hanging out with friends.

Abidemi Eniola Aina, Organization Studies

Aina was raised in Osun State, Nigeria. Because her mother taught for a living, Aina grew up watching what a good educator can do for a child regardless of where that child starts, and it shaped everything that came after.

She comes to Isenberg after more than six years at Osun State University, where she rose from graduate assistant to assistant lecturer. Her academic home is industrial relations and human resource management, in which she holds a bachelor's and a master's degree, alongside a professional diploma from the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management, Nigeria.

Aina’s research asks a question she has been circling for years: how the gender stereotypes we absorb in childhood go on to shape women's ambitions and their paths into leadership. Her broader interests sit across equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace, with particular attention to leadership and employee well-being.

Away from her research, Eniola coordinates The Tender Initiative Project, a volunteer program that runs career and skills workshops for people in rural parts of southwest Nigeria. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies based on real-life events, especially historical ones. 

Sierra Meyer, Organization Studies

Meyer, who is originally from Washington state, holds a BS degree in psychology from Western Washington University. Her undergraduate research focused on the influence of character strengths and personality traits on gender equality, social class, and environmentalism. Meyer’s professional background includes experience as an ABA behavior technician, program coordinator at a mental health non-profit, and research associate at American Institutes for Research, each pivotal in shaping her interest in DEI research within organizational contexts. Sierra is committed to research that advances academic and practitioner understanding of the psychological processes impacting allyship, inclusivity, and equality in the workplace. In her free time, Sierra enjoys spending time with her dog, sewing, figure skating, and traveling.

Supriya Sharma, Organization Studies

Sharma, who is originally from India, brings a multidisciplinary background in human resources, leadership, business analytics, and organizational research. Before beginning her doctoral studies, she worked for more than 11 years with the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited, where she held HR leadership roles in a large, high-reliability public-sector organization. 

Supriya earned her MBA and MS in business analytics from Isenberg, where she served as president of the Graduate Business Association and worked as a Business Innovation Fellow at the Institute for Applied Life Sciences.

Her research interests center on how people experience work during periods of technological, personal, and organizational change. She is especially interested in gender and work, motherhood and caregiving, identity, belonging, workplace loneliness, and the role of AI and digital tools in reshaping careers, relationships, and organizational life. Through her doctoral work, Supriya hopes to study how organizations can build more humane, inclusive, and adaptive workplaces, especially in technology-driven and interdisciplinary contexts.

Outside of research, Supriya enjoys traveling, writing, learning from people’s life stories, and spending time with her husband and two children.

Peter Goggins, Strategic Management

Peter Goggins is from Middletown, Connecticut, and completed both his undergraduate and master’s degrees at the University of Connecticut in Storrs—the latter in the field of global entrepreneurship. He has worked both in academia and industry in the time since then, having focused on technology commercialization both domestically and abroad. During his time as a PhD student, Goggins intends to continue his focus on business performance in conflict zones as well as the interactions of these businesses with local institutions in such scenarios. 

Outside the professional world, Peter enjoys practicing his trade skills, running, backpacking, and reading. He is enthusiastic about topics such as the Ukrainian language, in which he possesses some degree of competency, carpentry, history, and the environmental sciences.

Yaxuan Li, Strategic Management

Li earned an MS in finance from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Before joining the Isenberg School of Management, she worked as a research assistant at City University of Hong Kong and a research associate at NYU Shanghai. Her research interests include corporate governance, executive behavior, and managerial attention.