Education

• PhD, Quantitative Marketing, Penn State University

Biography

Yifan Zhang’s research explores the affect AI and machine learning technologies have on business operations and society. He also applies his quantitative marketing expertise to draw actionable insights from consumer behavior so businesses can optimize their marketing efforts. He has published his research in top-tier journals, including the Journal of Accounting and Economics. He is also the recipient of several research award including the INFORMS Information Systems Society cluster best paper award.

As an instructor, Zhang enjoys teaching introductory courses on business analytics because it gives him the opportunity to share his enthusiasm and passion for the topic with students—opening career paths for some of them in this critical field.

Before joining the Auburn faculty, Zhang was an assistant professor of quantitative analysis and data science at Kennesaw State University, where he won the business school’s Outstanding Publication Award. He also taught data mining and statistical learning, business intelligence, and applied statistical and optimization models.

Fun fact: Zhang once qualified for the first-round professional trial of Clash Royale, a real-time multiplayer battle and strategy videogame.

Zhang earned his PhD in quantitative marketing from Penn State University.