Faculty

I love teaching entrepreneurship because of the amazing innovations that students ideate and then create businesses around. I like the quote attributed to both Homer (the philosopher, not the father of Bart) and Steve Jobs, "The journey is the reward." I'm honored to be able to guide the WPI students through their journeys of not only learning about business ownership, but also actually building something - whether it’s a prototype, a minimally viable product (MVP) or a company. Being in a university setting provides students with a safety net to fail fast and pivot their ideas. No ...

Strategic Leadership: As Assistant Dean of Business Programs, Sandhya spearheads efforts aimed at strengthening all aspects of the WPI Business School Student life cycle including strategic recruitment, retention, program development, partnerships, student engagement and career development. Sandhya leads the WBS Programs Team that advises students on curricular selection and academic progression. The Programs team develops long-term advising relationships with students and counsel’s learners on academic, administrative, professional, and disciplinary issues. Furthermore, the Programs team ...

Micah Chase has been a founder and CEO for over 25 years successfully growing several startups into multi-million dollar companies. Experience in all phases of an enterprise, B2B, B2C, managing P&L, setting strategic direction, change management, product development, multichannel marketing, business development, contract negotiation, regulatory compliance, and M&A. • Checkerboard Ltd (1992-2017) is a leader in the design and manufacturing of fine social stationery. As CEO, Chase selected the strategic direction to navigate a mature industry resulting in consistent double-digit year ...

As Director of Innovation & Entrepreneurship Programs at The WPI i3 lab, Business School, I am dedicated to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship within our academic community. With a diverse background in founding and expanding companies across the US, Europe, and Asia, I bring a global perspective and a wealth of experience in Software as a Service (SaaS), Fintech, and Blockchain Applications.I have had the privilege of working with and leading diverse teams, which has honed my skills in business development, startup incubation, and strategic leadership. My passion lies in ...

Dr. Dunbar is currently a tenured Associate Professor of Finance at WPI. In addition to his extensive experience in teaching and research, he has a wealth of industry experience working with several fortune 500 companies in various capacities.Professor Dunbar's research has appeared in leading economics and finance journals such as Quantitative Finance, Economic Modeling, International Review of Financial Analysis, and Research in International Business and Finance, amongst others. His research has received considerable attention via citations, and he regularly presents his work at leading ...

I specialize in user experience and decision-making research, focusing on uncovering the intricacies of human cognition to understand the factors that enhance or impede the effective use of information technologies.Since people predominantly use their eyes to process information, I utilize eye-tracking technology to study user reactions to product and service designs. For example, I analyze eye movement data to evaluate user engagement with various content, ranging from embedded information on organizational websites to complex details, such as diagnosis and treatment options, in medical ...

Nima Kordzadeh is an Assistant Professor of Information Systems at the WPI Business School. He is also affiliated with the Data Science Program. Joining WPI in 2017, Professor Kordzadeh was drawn by the university's commitment to blending theory with practice, aligning perfectly with his educational philosophy. Teaching at WPI is particularly rewarding for him because it enables engagement with students poised to use technology to shape a better world. He continually innovates in his courses, focusing on engaging, interactive, and practical learning that prepares students to be professionals ...

Prior to accepting my faculty position with WPI in 2019, I held tenured positions with Troy University and Auburn University at Montgomery, retiring from the Alabama System in 2019. During this time frame, I also visited the University of Louisiana at LaFayette. My teaching philosophy focuses on practical application of Information Technology and I have taught courses across the spectrum of management information systems, concentrating on systems analysis, database management systems, e-commerce, computer networking, and information systems strategy. My research streams focus on organizational ...

WPI provides an environment that values both teaching and research, which is ideal for me. I enjoy teaching at WPI because students are interested in learning and willing to work hard. My teaching focuses on how business, healthcare, and nonprofit organizations can best use computing technologies, such as database systems, electronic health records systems, and mobile apps. Students in my classes learn to design computing applications that meet the needs of organizations. Students understand the value of learning these topics, and as a result, they work hard to learn the principles and how to ...

Daniel N. Treku teaches blockchain-related courses, business intelligence, and data science at the Business School at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Massachusetts. His ongoing research lies at the intersection of network technologies (such as blockchain technology), digital platforms, data analytics, and fintech (AI-, cryptocurrency- and NFT-related, and ESG). Mainly, his research utilizes conceptual and empirical approaches toward broader aims of financial inclusivity and social good. He has multiple book chapters, IS conference proceedings, and publications in journals such as the ...

I enjoy teaching because it allows me to interact with students who have the potential to make the world a better place using technology. I continually innovate in my courses to ensure students enjoy the learning experience, learn the key concepts and skills related to information systems through real world examples, have an opportunity to learn from each other, learn to present themselves as professionals, and most importantly learn to use or develop technology to make a difference. WPI provides a learning environment that allows me to accomplish these principles with its emphasis in theory ...

Richard Gram has taught courses at WPI since 2007.  Originally hired by the Management Department, he spent several years teaching for Corporate and Professional Education at customer locations around New England.  Currently he teaches classes for the Business School and Civil Engineering.  He has taught Project Management (MIS 576 and CE 580), Project Evaluation (CE 3025), Innovating with IT (MIS 500), IT Policy and Strategy (MIS 581), and Business Intelligence (MIS 584).Prior to teaching at WPI, Rich taught courses including Database Design, Systems Analysis, and Website ...

Professor Gonsalves is currently a full time instructor in the Business School. He is a graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Institute with a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering and a Master’s Degree in Management Science.Professor Gonsalves’ career has spanned thirty five years in the technology field, having held positions in design, applications, sales, marketing, business development and management. He is the holder of 9 patents and has presented at a variety of industry conferences in the area of RFID.For the past twenty five years, Professor Gonsalves has been teaching ...

Being an educator is more than just distributing facts and figures; it's demonstrating the importance of this knowledge in a way that can be relevant for every learner. It's not truly knowledge until the student can grasp and apply it. I consider myself to be an advocate for knowledge - encouraging learning and providing the tools needed to be successful and independent thinkers. I take any opportunity possible to introduce new technologies and social networking behaviors that I feel are relevant into my daily classroom activities. My existence in the classroom is a partnership with the ...

I joined the faculty of the Business School at WPI in July 2020. I received my Ph.D. in Business Administration with an emphasis on marketing from West Virginia University. In my research I focus on studying how consumers make financial and health-related decisions, what biases they have when making those decisions, and what can the government and public policy makers do to protect them against harmful marketing practices. My research has been published in the Journal of Consumer Association, Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, and the International Journal of Marketing ...

Professor Shah has 'done' marketing and now she 'teaches' marketing at the WPI Business School. She has a diverse industry experience in the marketing/brand management function of mid-size to large corporations across consumer goods, retail, and real estate verticals. In academics, she aspires to play her role as a researcher (knowledge creation) and teacher (knowledge dissemination). Her research questions, in the context of discovery, attempt to explain and understand interesting and challenging marketing phenomena that have not received much research attention. She is also skilled at ...

I enjoy teaching at WPI because students bring a lot of energy and enthusiasm to their learning; I am also inspired by their optimism. My teaching also reflects topics that motivate me:  detailed process design in our Industrial Engineering program, exploring the implications of operational excellence in our graduate programs, and advancing health care systems. My research explores the impact of lean improvement methods in healthcare settings, as well as applying work systems and modeling approaches to design more effective healthcare delivery processes. I am also interested in the ...

The application of Industrial Engineering and mathematical knowledge has always been a rewarding challenge for me. I draw on a variety of Industrial Engineering techniques including optimization and simulation. My research has included evaluating anti-human trafficking efforts, computationally characterizing episodes of care from health insurance claim records, and examining the impact of physician incentives on patient outcomes, as well as research related to mental health, patient flow and practice guidelines.   In 2020-2021 I was a Fulbright Scholar at the Ukrainian Catholic ...

My research agenda takes advantage of my educational background. The first area of research is supply chain networks equilibrium. In this research stream, I model supply chain networks to understand the interactions of agents who act in their own self-interest and their impact to business and society. A broad class of research question in this area is motivated by the interaction between supply chain networks and sustainable and responsible decision-making. The focus in my second area of research is on Blockchain technology contributions in the supply chain networks. Blockchain, as a new ...

Joseph Sarkis is a Professor of Management within Worcester Polytechnic Institute's Business School. He previously served as a faculty member at Clark University and the University of Texas at Arlington. His teaching and research interests are in the fields of environmental sustainability, operations and supply chain management. He is the author or co-author of over 600 publications. His research is widely cited and he earned the designation of highly cited researcher for nine years from 2016-2025 from Thomson-Reuters/Clarivate Analytics (Web-of-Science). He has also been noted as the ...

I am interested in manufacturing and industrial engineering. My main interests lie at the intersection of manufacturing processes and the financial aspect of the business that relates to these processes. I see my mission as enabling students to become leaders in a business environment and helping them extract value from the processes that drive the organization. We do this by using tools like axiomatic design and Lean Six Sigma methods. I like to frame the lectures in such a way that the students picture themselves in the field, supporting or leading members of the organizations and having an ...

I am Professor of Operations and Industrial Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), with courtesy appointments in Mathematical Sciences, Data Science, and Computer Science. I hold a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. My objective is to use science and technology to assist real human need by improving systems that serve vulnerable peoples, such as refugees and asylum seekers, survivors of human trafficking, and children in the foster care system.I believe that the convergence of novel analytical technologies and open-source software can create ...

Joe Zhu is Professor of Operations Analytics in the Business School, Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He is an internationally recognized expert in methods of performance evaluation and benchmarking using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), and his research interests are in the areas of operations and business analytics, productivity modeling, and performance evaluation and benchmarking. He has published and co-edited several books focusing on performance evaluation and benchmarking using DEA and developed the DEAFrontier software. With more than more than 130 journal articles, books, and ...

Michael F. Ahern is an Adjunct Instructor for WPI’s Business School. He regularly teaches BUS2080 Data Analysis for Decision Making.  Mike has also taught WPI’s graduate Operations Risk Management course and developed and taught customized professional development courses on power industry reliability assurance and cyber-security. Further, Mike has developed and delivered IEEE Power and Energy Society Webinars like: “Green Energy and the Electric Delivery System: Opportunities for Energy Efficiency”.  He was a regular guest lecturer on energy topics at Yale University, has presented to the New ...

I enjoy teaching an interrelated series of topics that combine current industrial methodologies with the basics from academic study that form the foundations for commercial practice.  The WPI classes give me an opportunity to share, mentor and steward students through simulated and practical problems, guiding them to plausible and realistic solutions.My research interests include; product, process and system design, with the integration of; innovation, development, selling and customer support. I am a consultant to high tech industries addressing both technology insertion and business ...

Dr. Monat teaches courses in Risk Management and Decision Analysis, Systems Thinking, System Optimization, and Business Practices. He has both management and teaching experience in the medical device, separations, food & beverage, business consulting, and environmental industries, having served as President of Harvard Clinical Technology, President and Founder of Business Growth Specialists, Inc., as Sr. Vice-President of Pall Corporation, and in a variety of executive positions for Koch Membrane Systems, Inc. He has taught at WPI since 2004.Dr. Monat’s current research interests include ...

Since arriving at WPI in 1990, I have had the great pleasure of teaching a variety of organization studies undergraduate and graduate courses, engaging in organization studies research and theory development, and offering service to the university, the Business School, and my field. With respect to teaching, I have framed my role in the classroom as helping technically-minded students become more cognizant and mindful of themselves and of the human and behavioral dimensions of organization life. I engage students via experiential methods including digital storytelling, ...

Biography of Rev. Debora Jackson, DMin, MDiv, ME, MS, BS The Reverend Dr. Debora Jackson is the Harry G. Stoddard Professor of Management and Dean of the Business School at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, a premiere STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) based institution recognized for project-based education that integrates the theory and practice of management. In response to changing industry needs, Dr. Jackson seeks to promote research, collaboration, and partnerships that understand broader societal needs and recast the vision for business education in ways that ...

How do leaders work across disciplines, organizations, cultures, and networks to co-create and implement novel solutions, sustainable human-centered change, and entrepreneurial ventures?  Over the past twenty years, this question has motivated Elizabeth Long Lingo's research, innovative project-based teaching, and efforts to advance organizational transformation and policy change to forge more creatively vibrant organizations, cities, and fields of enterprise. As an ethnographer of work and organizations, Professor Long Lingo is especially interested in the situated ...

My research is focused in two areas: Organizational aesthetics takes seriously the idea that management is as much an art as it is a science, and applies art-based scholarship and practice to management and organizations. Reflective practice is the ability to analyze our own actions and learn from that how to be more effective, ethical, and artful as managers and leaders. At the heart of my work as a researcher and teacher, is my own practice as a playwright. My plays have been performed in England, France, Poland, Canada, New Zealand, Italy, and the USA. From my work in the theater, I have ...

Jed’s organizational behavior experience is shaped through 15+ years as a human resource leader.  His experience includes work as a Change Agent, Director/Manager, and Internal and External Consultant.  His consulting services focus on performance management, total rewards, HR analytics, and workplace learning, and his research and teaching experience includes the areas of organizational performance improvement, competency identification, and rewards management. Jed’s industry experience in human resources includes higher education, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, distribution and ...