Nine new faculty join Mendoza College of Business

The University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business welcomed nine new faculty members this year, supporting its top strategic priority of strengthening its reputation as a leading research institution. “What is especially notable is that each of our five academic departments successfully recruited at least one distinguished tenured professor from a top business school — a group that collectively will significantly elevate our research reputation,” said Martijn Cremers, Martin J. Gillen Dean. The new faculty members include:

ACCOUNTANCY

  

John Aland, assistant professor of accountancy. Aland’s research focuses on traditional and non-traditional financial institutions, particularly banking practices, financial reporting and equity crowdfunding. He comes to Notre Dame from the Dolan School of Business at Fairfield University and earned his Ph.D. in Accounting from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s from Notre Dame.   

Brandon Gipper, associate professor of accountancy. Gipper examines the trustworthiness of financial and non-financial reporting and how governance mechanisms affect credible disclosure. He previously served at Stanford University and holds a Ph.D. in accounting from Stanford and a master’s and a bachelor’s in economics and accounting from the University of Michigan.   

Lauren Vollon, assistant professor of accountancy. Vollon studies the role of disclosure regulation and its effects on capital markets and stakeholder behavior. He comes from Bocconi University in Milan and earned his Ph.D. and MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, an M.S. in Finance from U.C. San Diego, and a bachelor’s in business economics from KU Leuven, Belgium.  

BUSINESS ETHICS AND SOCIETY PROGRAM

  

Mark Hoipkemier, assistant research professor in the Business Ethics and Society Program. His research focuses on common goods in business and economics, Neo-Aristotelian social theory, and the roles of character and institutions. He previously worked at the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain, and earned his Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame and his bachelor’s from Dartmouth College.  

FINANCE

  

Marco Giacoletti, associate professor of finance. His research focuses on housing and real estate markets, with particular attention to market dynamics and investment behavior. Previously serving as a professor at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business, he earned his Ph.D. in finance from Stanford Graduate School of Business and his master’s and bachelor’s from Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi, Milan.  

IT, ANALYTICS, AND OPERATIONS

  

Heng Xu, professor of IT, Analytics, and Operations. Xu’s research explores data privacy, digital ethics and fairness in machine learning, with a focus on how organizations manage and govern data responsibly. She previously worked at the University of Florida and served as a program director at the National Science Foundation. Xu earned her Ph.D. from the School of Computing at the National University of Singapore and a bachelor’s degree from the School of Management at Shandong University, China.   

Nan Zhang Nan Zhang, professor of IT, Analytics, and Operations. Zhang studies the societal impacts of artificial intelligence (AI) and the development of machine learning methods for the social sciences. He previously held a faculty position at the University of Florida and also served as a program director and expert at the National Science Foundation. Zhang earned his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University and his bachelor’s from Peking University.  

MANAGEMENT & ORGANIZATION

  

Michael Withers, professor of Management & Organization. Wither’s research interests focus on how organizations manage external dependencies, adapt in competitive environments and make strategic decisions, particularly through executive leadership transitions and corporate governance mechanisms. Previously serving as the associate dean for research and scholarship at Texas A&M University, he earned his Ph.D. in strategic management from the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, a master’s from the University of Alabama, an MBA from the University of Southern Mississippi and a bachelor’s from Mississippi State University.  

MARKETING

  

Joe Redden, the Aloysius and Eleanor Nathe Collegiate Professor of Marketing. His research examines how to increase consumer enjoyment without changing the product, including strategies to reduce satiation in repeated experiences and to promote healthy eating. He previously served for nearly two decades at the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management. Redden earned his Ph.D. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and a bachelor’s from the University of Kentucky.   Founded in 1921, the Mendoza College of Business is a top-ranked business school with 150 faculty members in five academic departments. As a leading business school guided by the University’s Catholic identity, the College seeks to Grow the Good in Business™ to improve the human condition in an ever-changing society through impactful research and educational programs.