Assistant Professor Chi Zhang’s First Visit to Whitman Laid the Groundwork for Job Offer, Opportunity to Collaborate With Colleagues With Common Research Interests

Chi Zhang first visited the Syracuse University campus in August 2024 when he was invited to participate in the Product Development & Management Association (PDMA) Doctoral Consortium, held at the Whitman School. At the time, Zhang was a Ph.D. candidate in marketing at Texas A&M eager to learn about the consortium’s focus on innovations in marketing in the face of dramatic changes due to digital transformation technologies that enable innovations, as well as innovation in emerging economies. He was one of only 25 participants selected to attend the consortium and received the second-place Best Dissertation Proposal award. While he was pleased to be recognized, he found particular value in the research-focused discussions, constructive feedback and stimulating conversations he had with members of Whitman’s marketing faculty. At the time, he didn’t realize that Syracuse University would soon become the next step in his career.

Later that year, as he was completing the final year of his Ph.D. at Texas A&M, he saw a job opening on the Whitman marketing faculty and decided to apply. “I had such a positive experience when I was on the campus during the PDMA consortium, and it seemed like a place where there was an excellent overlap in my research interests with other members of the faculty,” Zhang says. Following the interview process, he was thrilled when he received the offer to join Whitman as an assistant professor.

Zhang earned bachelor’s degrees in both urban planning and design and in economics, as well as completed a master’s degree in economics from Nanjing University in China. Quantitative marketing became his focus while working as a research assistant for a marketing professor during his master’s studies, and he realized that the study of quantitative marketing was a “compilation of all of his interests.” This led him to pursue a Ph.D. where he could apply his background in economic modeling and design thinking to tackle real-world business challenges. In summer 2025, he completed his dissertation, Pricing, Generative AI, and Creativity of Digital Artwork, and received his Ph.D. Soon after, he was headed to Syracuse.

This fall, Zhang will pursue his research at Whitman, which ranges from pricing strategy, product design and the creator economy. One of his current areas of interest is looking at the digital artwork market, which is rapidly evolving due to technological innovations in blockchain and generative AI. His research seeks to understand how these technologies are transforming the market. For example, how does generative AI technology influence creators’ production strategies and the quality of their outputs? What drives buyers’ valuation of digital artworks on online marketplaces, and what pricing strategies are most effective for sellers?

“Technology has democratized access to the digital art market on both the seller and buyer sides,” Zhang explains. “Unlike the traditional art market, where collectors often have deep expertise, digital art buyers may have less domain knowledge. This has created a new segment of buyers with distinct valuation logic, emphasizing factors such as social value rather than scarcity, yet sellers did not understand very well. One of my research projects tries to understand this market demand and develops effective pricing strategies.”

This fall, Zhang is focusing on his research at Whitman while also creating a class on new product development. He will be teaching this class to undergraduate and graduate students in Spring 2026.

“I like teaching because it allows me to share my knowledge with students and witness their growth over the semester,” he says. “I find it especially rewarding to help students connect theoretical concepts to real-world applications and to see their confidence grow as they develop new skills.”

Zhang is pleased that he has joined the Whitman faculty and is eager to move forward collaboratively as he pursues his research. “The environment is very supportive and collegial here, and I’m also enjoying the beautiful campus. I look forward to continuing to build my career here at the Whitman School.”

By Caroline K. Reff