Campus News

Two UGA marketing professors selected for Marketing Science Institute’s program

Two UGA marketing professors selected for Marketing Science Institute's prestigious Young Scholars Program

Athens, Ga. – Two assistant professors in the marketing department at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business are among a select group of young scholars identified by the Marketing Science Institute as leaders of the next generation of marketing academics.

Professors Rex Du and Vanessa Patrick have been invited to participate in the institute’s Young Scholars Program, which brings together some of the most promising researchers in marketing to encourage future collaboration among the participants.

“I am pleased and delighted that Vanessa and Rex were selected for this program,” said Charlotte H. Mason, head of the marketing department. “They are talented scholars and being named to this very exclusive group is well-deserved recognition for their contributions to the field at this early stage of their careers. It is also a testament to the collegial and supportive environment in the Terry College that junior faculty can build a strong research portfolio while also teaching in multiple degree programs and advising students.”

UGA is one of only four universities to have two young scholars invited to participate in the 2009 class; the other three universities are Harvard, Northwestern, and Washington University in St. Louis.

Started in 2001, the biennial Young Scholars Program is open to marketing academics who received their doctorates within the previous four to seven years. The Marketing Science Institute hosts a four-day meeting for the scholars designed to help them explore collaborative research opportunities. The next meeting in March will include about 30 participants from the United States and abroad.

Du’s current research focuses primarily on customer relationship management, database marketing and marketing models. His research has appeared in the Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Marketing Science, Quantitative Marketing and Economics, and Long Range Planning. Du teaches marketing research at the undergraduate level, and database marketing at the graduate level.

Patrick’s research interests include the study of affect (mood and emotions), aesthetics and intertemporal issues in consumer choice and consumption. Her research has appeared, or is forthcoming, in the Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Consumer Psychology, Journal of Retailing, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science and Empirical Studies of the Arts. Patrick teaches a variety of courses, including marketing fundamentals and the capstone marketing strategy class at the undergraduate level, as well as a seminar in consumer behavior for Ph.D. students.

Founded in 1961, the Marketing Science Institute is a learning organization dedicated to bridging the gap between marketing science theory and business practice. MSI currently brings together executives from about 70 sponsoring corporations with leading researchers from more than 100 universities worldwide. As a nonprofit organization, MSI financially supports academic research for the development-and practical translation-of leading-edge marketing knowledge on topics of importance to business.