Professor Suzanne Shu appointed as new dean of faculty and research

Suzanne Shu, John S. Dyson Professor in Marketing at the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, has been announced as the new dean of faculty and research of the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business.

“In this new role, Suzanne will support and advance faculty research and teaching excellence and support the scholarly and educational mission of the College as well as the university’s academic standing and land-grant mission,” said Andrew Karolyi, dean of Cornell SC Johnson.

Within this position, Shu will serve on the College Leadership Team, the College Dean’s Council and serve as Ex Officio member of the Academic Planning Committee and Faculty Advisory Committee, reviewing all promotion and tenure cases from the seven Areas to advise the College dean.

“The main priority of this role is to support and advance the research and teaching excellence of the faculty in the College of Business, a topic I feel strongly about,” Shu said. “The faculty are crucial to the academic reputation of this college, the experience of the students, and the memories the students will carry with them as alumni.”

Suzanne joined the College in 2020 as the John S. Dyson Professor of Marketing in the Dyson School, an appointment she keeps alongside her new role. She is an internationally recognized researcher in the areas of marketing, behavioral economics, and consumer decision making.

An author and co-author of numerous articles, book chapters and books across different disciplines, Shu was an NBER Faculty Research Fellow in 2020 and won the UCLA Anderson Dean’s Prize in 2017 where she was recognized for her outstanding faculty mentorship of PhD students.

Being a facilitator of faculty success is a great opportunity to contribute to the university and the college, and it is an honor to play that role, Shu said.

“Dyson, Nolan, and Johnson all have unique positions within the college, which is reflected in the research and teaching done by the faculty,” she said. “We’re at an important transition point for the college as the faculty collaborate more smoothly across schools while the schools themselves retain their differentiated identities, and I look forward to working with the faculty as we make that happen.”

Shu brings with her to the role an impressive academic pedigree. Originally a Cornell graduate from the College of Engineering, obtaining a BSEE with Distinction ’90 and M.E. in Electrical Engineering ’92, she then attended the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business where she obtained her MBA in 2003 and a PhD in Behavioral Science the next year.

She has taught marketing and decision-making courses to MBA students at the University of Chicago, Southern Methodist University, INSEAD, and UCLA. Currently an NBER Faculty Research Fellow, she holds a joint faculty appointment at the UCLA Medical School, and has been a visiting scholar for several years at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

“We are thrilled to welcome Suzanne home to her academic roots and to this new role within the SC Johnson College of Business,” Karolyi said.

Shu’s appointment as dean of faculty and research will begin January 1, 2022.