Smith Faculty Receive UMD Grants for AI Research Projects

Smith School professors earned AI research seed grants from UMD’s AIM Institute. Louiqa Raschid and Eaman Jahani will use AI for public health; Lauren Rhue will explore legal limits of AI-generated content. AIM awarded 22 grants across interdisciplinary categories.

MSI Recognizes Smith’s Liye Ma, Bobby Zhou for ‘Significant Research Contributions’

Smith School associate professors Liye Ma and Bobby Zhou were named 2024 MSI Scholars by the Marketing Science Institute, recognizing their influential research. The honor fosters collaboration among mid-career marketing academics, shaping the field’s future through scholarship and real-world impact.

Smith’s Rebecca Ratner Leads the Association for Consumer Research

Rebecca Ratner, dean’s professor of marketing, is serving as president of the Association for Consumer Research, leading efforts to expand member engagement, professionalize operations and amplify research impact. She will deliver her presidential address at ACR 2025 in Washington, D.C.

Exploring Workplace Creativity and Innovation

Smith School professor Vijaya Venkataramani, a 2024 Distinguished Scholar-Teacher Award recipient, shared insights on workplace creativity during her lecture. She explored how social networks, team dynamics and leadership influence innovation, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity and psychological safety.

Kannan Wins AMA TechSIG Lifetime Achievement Award

The AMA TechSIG honored Smith’s P.K. Kannan with its inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award for his impactful research in marketing technology and innovation. Kannan, an expert in digital marketing and AI, shared the recognition with USC’s Gerard Tellis at the AMA Winter Conference.

Smith’s Lemma Senbet Joins Bretton Woods Committee

Lemma W. Senbet, Dean’s Chaired Professor at the Smith School, has joined the Bretton Woods Committee, a leading advocate for global economic cooperation. A renowned finance scholar, Senbet was also inducted as a Fellow of the Academy of International Business in 2022.

Diffusion of AI Jobs Across Sectors

AI job postings in the U.S. surged 68% since ChatGPT’s launch, despite a 17% decline in overall job postings. UMD-LinkUp AI Maps, led by Smith’s Anil K. Gupta, reveals AI’s rise as firms prioritize AI roles over traditional IT jobs.

Smith Faculty Awarded Grants for Innovative Teaching Practices

Smith’s Teaching/Learning Innovation Grant supports Cliff Rossi’s experiential learning project, where students analyze climate risk impacts on mortgages using machine learning. The project develops industry-relevant skills, preparing students for top finance roles and advancing climate-risk insights in housing.

Thinkers50 Hall of Fame Inducts Smith’s Anil Gupta, Haiyan Wang

Anil K. Gupta and Haiyan Wang, MBA ’95, have been inducted into the 2024 Thinkers50 Hall of Fame for their leadership in analyzing globalization trends. Their combined 60 years of research and consulting includes co-founding the China India Institute and authoring several influential books.

Smith School’s Bjarnadóttir Earns Highest Icelandic State Honor for Research Impact

Margrét Bjarnadóttir, associate professor at the Smith School, was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Icelandic Order of the Falcon for transformative research on pay equity.