Faculty Directory
The Graduate School of Management at UC Davis brings together distinguished scholars and industry experts from all over the world. Alongside our students, they create a vibrant educational experience with real-world relevance and a culture of camaraderie.
Our instructors have both academic expertise and practical experience, giving you a well-rounded and relevant MBA education. Plus, with a low student-to-faculty ratio, these diverse, high-quality faculty get to know you by first name and serve as mentors as you grow your professional network after graduation.
They've trained at top schools, including Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University, Harvard University, The University of Chicago, Cornell University and Northwestern University.
Through a powerful combination of case studies, seminars, guest speakers, simulations and team projects, they turn complex concepts into actionable tools you can use throughout your career.
David S. Bunch
Professor Emeritus
Ph.D., Rice University
Research Expertise: Marketing research, marketing science, decision and management sciences, consumer choice behavior, choice modeling, new product development and introduction
Professor David Bunch is an internationally recognized expert on marketing research, marketing science and decision and management sciences. His research interests include consumer choice behavior, choice modeling, new product development and introduction, travel behavior, vehicle choice and alternative fuel vehicles.
William Leo Cron
Visiting Faculty
Research Expertise
Marketing, Sales & Sales Management, Channels of Distribution, Health Care
Vanessa Errecarte
Lecturer
Master of Business Administration (MBA), Marketing Emphasis, UC Davis Graduate School of Management, 2014
Master of Arts (M.A.), Communication, Mass Communication Emphasis, University of the Pacific, 2007
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Communication, University of California, Davis, 2004
Doug Findlay
Lecturer
Master of Business Administration (MBA), UC Davis Graduate School of Management
Bachelor of Science (B.S.), California State University, Sacramento
Lecturer Douglas Findlay brings over 30 years of experience in the technology sector, building extensive expertise and practical knowledge in the areas of product marketing, product management, new market development, market strategy, channel strategy, sales management, and business operations.
Bita Hajihashemi
Assistant Professor
Ph.D. in Quantitative Marketing, Foster School of Business, University of Washington, 2023
B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, 2016
Research Expertise
Personalized and Targeted Marketing, CRM, Complaint Management, Loyalty Programs
Bita Hajihashemi's research interests span two major domains:
Marc Lowe
Continuing Lecturer
Master of Business Administration (MBA), University of California, Los Angeles
Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Genetics, UC Davis
Research Expertise
Product Management, New and Small Business Ventures, Business Planning
Ashwin Aravindakshan Nair
Associate Professor
Associate Professor Ashwin Aravindakshan’s research interests center on learning how brands can better allocate their advertising resources (e.g., budgets, creatives, etc.) across different regions and/or multiple media over time. In addition to studying such dynamic advertising models, his research also investigates the dynamics of customer behavior and loyalty to help managers devise better communication and targeting policies in order to optimize their marketing mix at the individual level.
Mike Palazzolo
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., University of Michigan
Research Expertise
Choice, causal inference, retail, nutrition
Mike Palazzolo's research lies at the intersection of marketing and policy. Recently he has been focused on consumer nutrition, in an effort to learn how marketers can encourage healthier food selection.
Palazzolo teaches courses on causal inference and marketing analytics for the GSM's MBA programs.
Olivier Rubel
Professor
Professor Olivier Rubel is fascinated by two related questions: How can firms make better decisions in highly competitive environments? And what are the optimal strategies for implementing these decisions over time?
Rubel’s research examines how companies can best determine and allocate resources to marketing activities when facing a realistic chance of encountering a product harm crisis such as the SUV rollover controversy faced by Ford and Firestone in 2000 or the many product recalls Mattel was forced to make in 2007. His findings point to no single, simple answer to invest less or invest more. Rather, each firm’s best solution depends on the characteristics of the crisis, including its likelihood, its impacts on sales and on the effectiveness of marketing instruments.
Huy Tran
Lecturer
Master of Business Administration (MBA), UC Davis Graduate School of Management
Huy Tran brings over 15 years of public and private sector experience in technology leadership, business transformation, continuous improvement, project management and data analytics. He has a career that spans higher education, healthcare and, most recently, Fortune 500 Technology.
H. Rao Unnava
Michael and Joelle Hurlston Dean and Professor of Marketing
Ph.D., The Ohio State University
Research Expertise
Advertising, brand management, promotions, international marketing and consumer behavior
Vasu Unnava
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Ph.D., Fisher College of Business, Ohio State University
Master of Arts (M.A.), Fisher College of Business, Ohio State University
Mary Kay Vona
Lecturer
Ph.D., Organizational Development and Executive Leadership, The George Washington University, 1997
Research Expertise
Research focused on Organizational Transformation, Learning & Development, DE&I and Talent Management (primarily technology enabled transformation).
Yuan Yuan
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., Social & Engineering Systems, MIT
Bachelor, Computer Science & Economics, Tsinghua University