Smith’s P.K. Kannan Announced as 2026 AMA Fellow Inductee

P.K. Kannan, Dean's Chair in Marketing Science at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, is set to be inducted as a member of the 2026 American Marketing Association (AMA) Fellows cohort.

Kannan will receive the distinction during the 2026 AMA Winter Academic Conference in Madrid, Spain, in early February. Members who earn the designation must have demonstrated “significant contributions to the research, theory and practice of marketing, and/or to the service and activities of the AMA over a prolonged period of time.” 

He is among four distinguished scholars in his class chosen by a group of peers. With this selection, Kannan joins over 70 other scholars who have earned the designation since its inception 11 years ago, intending to create “a space for fellowship, discussion, collaboration, and continued contributions to the discipline.”

“While I am honored and humbled to be recognized by the AMA community, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the support of my colleagues in the marketing department, especially Roland Rust and Michel Wedel, who are themselves AMA Fellows, along with my talented students and coauthors. I’m also deeply grateful to the Dean, the Smith School, and the University of Maryland for fostering an environment that values research and scholarship and provides the support that makes such work possible,” says Kannan.

This latest distinction comes on the heels of Kannan being named a Fellow of the INFORMS Society for Marketing Science in June 2025, an honor held by only about 40 scholars worldwide, including fellow Smith marketing professors Roland Rust and Michel Wedel.

Kannan’s reputation is that of a leading researcher in online and digital marketing, with an extensive research catalog built over several decades. His work has spanned topics such as marketing modeling, the application of statistical, econometric, machine learning, and AI methods to marketing data, customer relationship management, and the development of new products and services.

Throughout his career, he has earned other notable accolades, including the John D.C. Little Best Paper Award, the AMA/MSI Paul Root Award, the INFORMS Society for Marketing Science Practice Prize and the AMA TechSIG Lifetime Achievement Award. At the Smith School, he has received teaching honors, including recognition as a Distinguished Scholar Teacher and the Allen J. Krowe Award for Teaching Excellence. He has also advised numerous doctoral students who have gone on to become established faculty members at higher education institutions across the country.