Isenberg Welcomes New PhD Candidates

The Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst is pleased to welcome 10 new PhD candidates to the community this 2025-2026 academic year.

“These students represent several countries and academic backgrounds, and they are excited to join the Isenberg community and contribute through their rigorous research and meaningful collaboration,” said George Milne, PhD, Isenberg’s associate dean of research and doctoral programs and the Edward D. Shirley Endowed Professor of Marketing.

Junghyuk Lee, accounting: Lee completed his Master of Accounting Science and Bachelor of Science in accounting at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Lee has diverse work experience, including internships in Vietnam and India, where he conducted business analysis and market research. His research interests are focused on managerial accounting, but as an incoming first-year PhD student, Lee remains open to exploring other fields within accounting.

Tianxi (Kyle) Wang, finance: Wang will continue his PhD studies in finance at Isenberg. He holds an MS in Quantitative Finance, an MS in Finance (from the PhD program), and an MS in FinTech Analytics from Washington University in St. Louis. His research interests include text analysis in empirical asset pricing, political economics, and financial technology.

Yuxuan Ren, finance: Ren studied data science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned his master’s degree in operations research from Columbia University. Now working toward a PhD, his research interests are focused on asset pricing and cryptocurrencies.

Seungho Kim, hospitality and tourism management: Kim has an international background in hospitality, both academically and professionally. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Les Roches Global Hospitality Education in Switzerland and completed his MS in hotel administration at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He gained diverse, hands-on experience in the hospitality industry, working across various departments—from hotel front offices to dining restaurants—in South Korea, Japan, and Switzerland. Notably, he worked at JW Marriot Seoul, South Korea, where he deepened his understanding of luxury hotel operations and service excellence. His research interests include leadership, service operations, and customer experience management. Through his research, Kim aims to analyze how leadership influences employee satisfaction and customer service delivery, and to optimize service processes that enhance both operational efficiency and overall customer experience.

Mohammed Dayili, hospitality and tourism management: Dayili brings a global perspective shaped by his academic and professional journey across the Middle East and United States. He holds an MBA from the University of Houston and has completed doctoral-level coursework in leadership and research methods at UMass Lowell. His background includes experience in corporate strategy, education, and human resources, which informs his interest in the intersection of service delivery, leadership development, and sustainable management practices. Dayili is committed to research that bridges theory and practice in the hospitality and tourism field.

Tianhao Xiong, information systems: Xiong holds a master’s degree in management information systems from the University of Florida and a bachelor’s degree in data science from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. After completing his undergraduate studies, he worked as a full-time data scientist at the Shenzhen Research Institute of Big Data. He later served as a research assistant at the University of Florida, contributing to projects involving user behavior analysis and decision-making processes on digital platforms. His research interests lie at the intersection of management information systems and economics, with a focus on e-commerce, digital platforms, and text mining.

Haoyue Xu, information systems: Xu earned her master’s degree from Warwick Business School and her bachelor’s degree from Nanjing Agricultural University. After graduating from Warwick, she joined PwC UK as a technology consultant, where she has leveraged information systems to help clients and industries drive digital transformation and address real-world business challenges on a global scale. In addition to system design and implementation, Xu also focused on applying emerging technologies to support business development. She is eager to further explore the potential of information systems and digital platforms involving emerging technologies.

Jihae Han, marketing: Han earned her bachelor’s degree from Ewha Woman’s University in Seoul, South Korea, and holds a master’s degree in communication from Washington State University. Her research interests include consumer well-being, emerging technologies, neuromarketing, and healthy decision making.

Sarvagya Jha, operations management: Jha brings a diverse background spanning finance, law, and social impact. Prior to joining Isenberg, he worked as a research assistant at Rutgers Business School and spent several years in the non-profit sector, leading grassroots development programs across rural India. His academic and professional experiences have shaped his interest in using data-driven decision making and optimization to tackle complex problems in finance and operations.

Patel Gbedjemaiho, strategic management: Gbedjemaiho holds an MA in business administration from The Ohio State University and an MBA in finance and economics from the African School of Economics. Most recently, he served as an MBA quantitative methods tutoring support and research assistant at The Ohio State University, Fisher College of Business. Previously, Gbedjemaiho was a strategy research associate when he co-authored a paper examining how CEO successor origins influence technology redeployment. He also drafted research proposals on technological change and strategic leaders’ resource allocation decisions. Additionally, he taught core strategic management lecturers and case studies. Gbedjemaiho’s research examines how the adoption of artificial intelligence shapes knowledge development processes and innovation outcomes.