Meng Zhu named head of the Department of Marketing
Meng Zhu has been appointed head of the Department of Marketing in the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech, effective Aug. 10.
“Dr. Zhu brings a unique combination of scholarly excellence, collaborative leadership, and interdisciplinary vision to the Department of Marketing,” said Saonee Sarker, dean of the Pamplin College of Business. “Her commitment to advancing research and fostering innovation aligns seamlessly with the goals of Next-Gen Pamplin. I am confident that under her leadership, the department will continue to thrive and make meaningful contributions to the college, Virginia Tech, and field.”
Since joining Virginia Tech in 2023, Zhu has served as a professor of marketing and a senior fellow in the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology. She was named interim department head in July 2024. Zhu succeeds Rajesh Bagchi, who is now the college's associate dean for research, graduate programs, and centers.
“By engaging further in Next-Gen Pamplin, we can ensure that our faculty will be able to produce cutting-edge research and prepare our students for success in a changing environment and their future careers,” Zhu said. “This allows us to support not only the university ecosystem, but also the ecosystem and economic growth of the commonwealth.”
Zhu brings a strong background in marketing research with a focus on behavioral economics and human judgment. Her research also explores health and medical decision-making and collaboration between humans and artificial intelligence.
She is currently working on a project with the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology that addresses functionality of building spaces using artificial intelligence. The project brings together students and faculty from architecture, computer science, human sciences, and marketing to design building technologies powered by artificial intelligence.
Zhu also received a National Science Foundation grant with a cohort of faculty to explore peer-to-peer learning to integrate ethics into the research process. Through this grant, the Innovative Research and Ethical Impact team is developing networks to integrate ethics into departmental, laboratory, and peer cultures. The initiative is housed within the university’s Office of Research and Innovation.
Prior to joining Virginia Tech in 2023, Zhu was a professor of marketing at Johns Hopkins University. She received a bachelor’s from Nanjing University and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University.
