PhD Students

Ensieh Alidadiani | Marketing
Ensieh Alidadiani is a PhD candidate in Marketing at the Lubar College of Business, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, expected to graduate in May 2027. Her research examines advertising effectiveness in traditional and digital media, with a focus on how the acoustic features of advertisements, such as speech and music, shape consumer response. She also uses text mining to study online consumer reviews of credence goods, such as healthcare services, examining how service-related and specialty-related aspects of these goods influence consumer ratings. Her broader interests include applications of AI in marketing, and her methodological toolkit includes audio analysis, large language models, natural language processing, and machine learning. At Lubar, she teaches International Marketing and has taught Marketing Management as instructor of record. Before beginning her doctoral studies, Ensieh spent nearly a decade in industry in Tehran, working in marketing operations, go-to-market coordination, and business development. She holds an M.S. in Industrial Engineering and a B.S. in Mathematics.

Mohammad Fathi | Marketing
Mohammad is a Ph.D. student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Lubar College of Business, where he specializes in Quantitative Marketing with a minor in Management Information Systems. He completed his bachelor’s degree at Islamic Azad University and developed a strong foundation in data analysis through his master’s in Cosmology at Amirkabir University of Technology. This educational journey, combined with his rich background in marketing and advertising, has fueled his ambition to apply data science in refining marketing strategies. Mohammad’s research centers on digital marketing and social media, with a focus on unstructured data analytics. He leverages advanced data-driven methods to enhance marketing strategies and optimize business performance by deepening the understanding of consumer behavior across digital platforms.
mfathi@uwm.edu

Mahmood Farahrooz | Management Information Systems
Mahmood Farahrooz is a Ph.D. student in Management Information Systems at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee’s Lubar College of Business, with a minor in Marketing. He has an academic background in Information Technology Management and Industrial Engineering.
His research focuses on human–AI interaction, AI transparency, trust, and behavioral decision-making. He is particularly interested in how AI systems influence individuals’ perceptions and behaviors, especially in contexts involving persuasion, information disclosure, and incentives. His current research examines how transparency about AI systems’ use of personal information affects trust and behavioral responses, as well as how different disclosure mechanisms influence individuals’ willingness to exploit system rules and incentives.

Hyunji Lee  |  Finance
Hyunji Lee is a Ph.D. candidate in Finance at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Lubar College of Business. She holds a BBA from Sookmyung Women’s University in South Korea, a master’s degree in finance from Korea University, and a master’s degree in Large-Scale Data Analysis from the College of Staten Island, CUNY.

Her research focuses on empirical corporate finance, with particular interests in executive decision-making, corporate governance, and market responses to corporate actions. Her current work examines how the reinstatement of sanctioned executives affects corporate decisions and firm outcomes, as well as whether boards hold CEOs accountable for acquisition outcomes. 

Golshad Parsimoghadam |  Marketing
Golshad Parsimoghadam is a doctoral student in Marketing at UWM’s Lubar College of Business. She received her bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Azad University, North Tehran Branch, and she earned her master’s in Industrial Engineering from University of Science and Culture in Iran. Her background in data analysis and statistical models, as well as her work experience in customer satisfaction, has encouraged her to pursue a PhD degree in quantitative marketing. Her research interest focuses on crowdfunding and advertising by analyzing unstructured data like image analytics and text mining.
golshad@uwm.edu

Yusuf Mayowa Raji |  Finance 
Yusuf comes to UW with a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Kwara State University, Nigeria, a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Al-Hikmah University, Nigeria and a master’s degree in Finance from the University of Ilorin, Nigeria. He has seven years of industry and academic experience. His research interests include investment, asset pricing, and corporate finance.
ymraji@uwm.edu

Pouneh (Penny) Sadeghi  |  Marketing
Pouneh (Penny) Sadeghi is a Ph.D. candidate in Marketing with a minor in International Business at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. She holds a BSc in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA, during which time she co-authored the book Automotive Engine Design. Her research focuses on the intersections of marketing strategy, international marketing, and artificial intelligence. Penny is active in academic conferences and contributes to the scholarly community through peer-review work, supported by certifications from Elsevier and Wiley. She is also honored to be a Paul R. Lawrence 2024 Fellow. Penny is a passionate language learner and can speak six languages, including French and German. She has received both the Gold Star Teaching Award and the Outstanding Doctoral Student Teaching Award at the Lubar College of Business.
pouneh@uwm.edu | LinkedIn profile

Rachel Woodman | Organizations & Strategic Management
Rachel Woodman is a PhD student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Lubar College of Business, where she focuses on organizational behavior with a minor in communications. In addition to the 15+ years of industry experience she brings to Lubar, she also brings with her an MBA from the University of St. Thomas – Minnesota and a B.S. From the University of Wisconsin – River Falls. As a first-generation college student and first-generation white-collar professional, Rachel had a unique vantage point moving through her career in large-scale organizations. This “outside looking in” perspective allowed her to see patterns of behaviors that have led to various career outcomes and organizational performance. This experience has fueled two interests addressing the same issue from both sides. First, to help business leaders recognize, leverage, and navigate complex workplace environments. Second, to identify opportunities to improve that environment for the prosperity of the organization and its employees.
woodmanr@uwm.edu | LinkedIn profile