Olin’s faculty hiring strategy pays dividends for research, student learning

When you’re privileged to serve as the dean of a school with top-notch faculty, finding the means to show continuous growth among instructors and researchers becomes more and more difficult. I’m pleased to say, however, this year’s crop of new instructors has shown it is possible.

Our incoming cohort of new instructors demonstrates that the strategy we have deployed for recruiting new faculty is paying dividends—and, indeed, it demonstrates our current faculty’s commitment to deploying that strategy.

More than a year ago, I wrote in this space about that strategy: focusing on mid- and senior-level faculty members who already have a track record of producing impactful research. Experienced instructors who, as I wrote at the time, can bring “their cutting-edge business insights to the classroom” as well as professors of practice who can “prepare students for the world as it will be rather than the world as it is.”

With this year’s cohort of faculty members, we have two full professors joining us from the University of California–Berkeley’s Haas School of Business: David Ahn and Nicolae Gârleanu. They are among 15 new faculty members who joined this year (pictured above, listed below), along with Liberty Vittert, a veteran hire last year now joining us after serving as a visiting scholar at Harvard.

Increasing all-around bench strength

To be clear, we are not forsaking the need to recruit and cultivate promising junior faculty, and not all new instructors are research faculty.

“We added to our faculty bench at all levels—from the rookie market, to the seasoned market, to the senior (veteran) ranks,” said Todd Milbourn, vice dean of faculty and research and Hubert C. & Dorothy R. Moog Professor of Finance. “We are a research-driven institution, but we continue to add faculty among both research and teaching focused groups to continue to deliver the best possible faculty to our students across all programs.”

As pleased as I am that the strategy is working, I’m also gratified by the support it’s received from existing faculty. I’ve made it clear that any of Olin’s faculty groups— accounting, data analytics, economics, finance, marketing, organizational behavior, operations and manufacturing management, and strategy—can hire at any time. No waiting. And we are always on the lookout for outstanding individuals who will add to our diversity.

Committed to continuous improvement

If they have an opening, and they can find top people, I’m committed to finding a way to get them here. And, clearly, we’ve made that strategy work even in the midst of the pandemic. We cannot allow ourselves to be blown off course.

“It’s hard to welcome new folks to the Olin family only by Zoom,” Todd said, “but they are all great people with great attitudes, and they have managed the transitions seamlessly and with style.”

As we continue with this strategy, I am confident we will continue to see growth in our instruction and research productivity. Strength, after all, begets strength, and I am confident we will enjoy the snowballing effect of this approach for years to come.  

Mark Taylor

As we continue with this strategy, I am confident we will continue to see growth in our instruction and research productivity. Strength, after all, begets strength, and I am confident we will enjoy the snowballing effect of this approach for years to come.

2020-21 faculty hires

David Ahn, professor of economics PhD: economic analysis and policy, Stanford Graduate School of Business, 2004 Prior to Olin: Haas School of Business, University of California-Berkeley.

John Barrios, assistant professor of accounting PhD: business administration, University of Miami, 2015 Prior to Olin: Booth School of Business, University of Chicago.

Jeremy Bertomeu, associate professor of accounting PhD: economics, Carnegie Mellon University, 2008 Prior to Olin: Rady School of Management, University of California-San Diego.

Naveed Chehrazi, assistant professor of operations and manufacturing management PhD: management science and engineering, Stanford University, 2013 Prior to Olin: McCombs School of Business, The University of Texas at Austin.

Edwige Cheynel, associate professor of accounting PhD: business administration, Carnegie Mellon University, 2010 Prior to Olin: Rady School of Management, University of California-San Diego.

Erik Dane, associate professor of organizational behavior PhD: business administration, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2007 Prior to Olin: Jones Graduate School of Business, Rice University.

Nicolae Gârleanu, professor of finance PhD: finance, Stanford Graduate School of Business, 2002 Prior to Olin: Haas School of Business, University of California-Berkeley.

Maarten Meeuwis, assistant professor of finance PhD: finance, Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2020 Prior to Olin: PhD candidate at MIT.

Andreas Neuhierl, assistant professor of finance PhD: finance, Northwestern University, 2015 Prior to Olin: Mendoza School of Business at the University of Notre Dame.

Oren Reshef, assistant professor of strategy PhD: business and public policy, Haas School of Business, University of California-Berkeley, 2020 Prior to Olin: PhD candidate at Haas.

Linda Schilling, assistant professor of finance PhD: economics, Bonn Graduate School of Economics, 2017 Prior to Olin: Utrecht University School of Economics.

Professor of practice

Trish Gorman, professor of practice in strategy PhD: strategy and economics, Case Western Reserve University, 1999 Prior to Olin: managing director at Goff Strategic Leadership Center in Salt Lake City, lecturer at the Eccles School of Business, University of Utah.

Lecturers

Gary Lin, senior lecturer in data analytics PhD: industrial and systems engineering, University of Florida, 1991 Prior to Olin: Retired full professor from Bradley University.

Salih Tutun, lecturer in data analytics PhD: systems science and industrial engineering, State University of New York at Binghamton, 2018 Prior to Olin: postdoc at SUNY-Binghamton.

Postdoc

Hugh Wu, strategy, PhD: Stanford Graduate School of Business.