Areas of Study and Research Excellence

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Business at UNLV Lee Business School is designed to prepare students to conduct impactful, data-driven, and theoretically grounded research across major business disciplines. Through close faculty mentorship and rigorous doctoral training, students will explore complex business challenges shaping organizations, industries, and global markets.

Doctoral students will engage with contemporary issues such as artificial intelligence, digital transformation, financial systems, consumer behavior, emerging technologies, and business innovation. Each area of study emphasizes advanced analytical methods, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the development of original scholarly contributions.

Information Systems

Area Chair: Han-fen Hu, Ph.D., Professor

The information systems track examines the intersection of technology, organizations, and society. Students will explore how emerging technologies are transforming business strategy, decision-making, cybersecurity, and digital ecosystems.

Potential research areas include:

• Artificial intelligence and machine learning applications
• Cybersecurity and digital risk management
• Business analytics and data-driven decision-making
• Digital transformation and organizational innovation
• Human-computer interaction
• Information privacy and ethics
• Technology-mediated human behavior
• Enterprise systems and platform economies

Students may utilize quantitative, qualitative, computational, and mixed-methods approaches to study the evolving role of technology in organizations and society.

Finance

Area Chair: Hamed Mahmudi, Ph.D., Lee Associate Professor

The finance track prepares students to investigate financial markets, investment behavior, corporate financial strategy, and economic systems through rigorous analytical and empirical research.

Potential research areas include:

• Investments and asset pricing
• Corporate finance and governance
• Financial institutions and banking systems
• Behavioral finance
• Risk management and derivatives
• Financial modeling and econometrics
• Market efficiency and trading behavior
• FinTech and emerging financial technologies

Students will develop strong quantitative and methodological expertise while examining how financial decisions influence businesses, markets, and global economies.

Marketing

Area Chair(s): John (Jack) Schibrowsky, Ph.D., Professor
Eda Anlamlier, Ph.D., Associate Professor

The marketing track focuses on understanding consumer behavior, market dynamics, branding strategy, and the evolving digital marketplace. Students will explore how organizations create value, build customer relationships, and adapt to rapidly changing consumer expectations.

Potential research areas include:

• Consumer behavior and decision-making
• Digital and social media marketing
• Brand strategy and brand equity
• Customer experience and engagement
• Marketing analytics and data visualization
• Advertising and persuasion
• Innovation diffusion and emerging technologies
• Global and multicultural marketing

Research within the marketing track may integrate psychology, analytics, behavioral science, communication, and technology to better understand modern consumers and marketplace trends.

Interdisciplinary Research Opportunities

The Ph.D. in Business encourages interdisciplinary collaboration across business functions and emerging areas of inquiry. Students may explore research intersections involving:

• Artificial intelligence and business
• Workforce and organizational transformation
• Data analytics and strategic decision-making
• Innovation and entrepreneurship
• Consumer technology adoption
• Sustainability and corporate responsibility
• Global business strategy

Located in one of the nation’s most unique and rapidly evolving economic environments, UNLV provides doctoral students with opportunities to study real-world business challenges across industries including hospitality, sports, entertainment, healthcare, logistics, technology, and entrepreneurship.

Faculty

The Ph.D. in Business program features internationally renowned faculty across the Lee Business School who are engaged in scholarly inquiry spanning analytics, finance, technology, consumer behavior, strategy, innovation, and organizational research. Faculty members actively contribute to peer-reviewed journals, national conferences, interdisciplinary collaborations, and industry-informed research initiatives.

Career Options

Graduates of the Ph.D. in Business program may pursue careers such as:

• University professor or faculty researcher
• Academic scholars at research-intensive institutions
• Executive leadership roles in research organizations
• Research center directors

The doctoral degree prepares graduates to lead through research, evidence-based decision-making, and thought leadership across academic and professional setting.

Program Structure

The Ph.D. in Business is designed as a full-time, research-intensive doctoral program focused on developing advanced expertise in scholarship, analytical methods, and business theory.

Students will complete doctoral coursework, research training, comprehensive examinations, and an original dissertation under faculty supervision.

The program structure includes: 

• Comprehensive Examination
• Dissertation Proposal Defense
• Dissertation Defense
• Research Practicum Requirements
• Professional Research Papers

Students will work closely with faculty mentors throughout the program to develop independent research agendas and prepare for scholarly and professional careers.