It is a new academic year, and the commitment of Cal State Fullerton’s College of Business and Economics to attract world-class faculty on the cutting-edge of their disciplines remains stronger than ever.
In fall 2022, the college is welcoming 10 new full-time faculty members.
We reached out to each of them to discover more about why they chose CSUF, some interesting personal facts, and a little about their research interests.
ACCOUNTING
Farzana Afrin
On choosing CSUF: “I am looking forward to working with a diverse classroom. CSUF’s business college offers nationwide well-reputed programs that attract ambitious and hardworking students. From speaking with a few students and learning about them indirectly from colleagues, I have gained the impression that the students are humble and ready to take on intellectual challenges in the classroom. I am confident that I will enjoy my interactions with these students.”
An interesting fact: “I am an avid martial arts enthusiast: I have a black belt in judo and a brown belt in karate. I am hoping to learn taekwondo in the near future.”
On her research: “As an accounting academic, I find it interesting to learn about the different drivers of capital allocation decisions within the economy. My studies have helped uncover many important economic links related to the role of proprietary information transfer between firms in their subsequent capital allocation decisions. Findings from my studies can potentially be of interest to financial market regulators, auditors and/or firm managers.”
Sabrina Chi
On choosing CSUF: “I look forward to the diverse student body in the business school.”
An interesting fact: “I like travel, dancing, swimming and playing piano. I recently co-founded SoCal Tax Reading Group to foster high-quality tax research across universities in Southern California.”
On her research: “Prior to my doctoral program, I worked as the tax consultant in a Big Four accounting firm. It is great to apply working experience to research.”
Chi has been listed in the top 10% of authors on Social Science Research Network (SSRN) by all-time downloads and total new downloads within the last 12 months since 2018.
Mason Snow
On choosing CSUF: “I am excited to teach accounting at an institution that is adapting to meet the needs of the changing profession. The School of Accountancy has done an excellent job at incorporating data analytics and robotic process automation into its curriculum. I look forward to contributing to this effort in my accounting information systems course where students will enhance their data analytics toolkit and gain exposure to other emerging technologies.”
An interesting fact: “I enjoy genealogy and family history. Identifying my ancestors and learning about their lives – where they’re from, how they occupied themselves, what obstacles they overcame – always excites me! If you’re not convinced, I would refer you to research suggesting that individuals who learn their family story tend to be more connected, resilient and compassionate. If you’re interested in learning more, come knock on my office door!”
On his research: “The research projects I’m currently working on can be broadly classified into one of two groups: assessing the impact of regulatory intervention or exposing misconduct. I hope that through my research, policy makers will be better informed of the unintended consequences of regulation and find ways to curtail misbehavior.”
ECONOMICS
Div Bhagia
On choosing CSUF: “I look forward to meeting students who are curious and driven to learn. Cal State Fullerton attracts students from diverse backgrounds, and I am excited to teach and learn from them.”
An interesting fact: “I was pretty active in the street theatre scene during my college days back in Delhi. I still miss it.”
On her research: “The field of labor economics is concerned with a wide range of topics, such as unemployment, racial inequality and immigration. I find these topics interesting and relevant. I believe understanding the functioning of labor markets helps policymakers make good decisions. Since I was young, I have been concerned with social inequality. Understanding the roots of inequality and the factors that influence it can help us make meaningful policy changes for a better future.”
Taylor Mackay
On choosing CSUF: After earning his M.A. in economics at San Diego State University and his Ph.D. in economics at UC Irvine, Mackay looks forward to staying in the Golden State as a professor at Cal State Fullerton.
An interesting fact: During the pandemic, Mackay worked with a team of policy experts to produce policy reports and academic papers related to California economic decision-making as part of the California Policy Lab.
On his research: Mackay is focused on urban and public economics.
MANAGEMENT
David Cho
On choosing CSUF: “I look forward to interacting and having close relationships with students. I truly appreciate the diverse background students bring both in and outside the classroom. I would love to help and support them in their studies, careers and just life in general.”
An interesting fact: “I grew up in Fullerton! I hope my experience of growing up in the area will help me better relate to the struggles the students go through. As a father of two young children, I go to Disneyland a lot. In fact, a few years ago, I went to Disneyland more than 50 times in one year!”
On his research: “Despite the obvious societal benefits it provides, the health-care industry is not always viewed in a positive light by the general public. The industry experiences for many people are not very positive, and I think there are many ways the industry can improve in its delivery of service. The industry’s need to find the delicate balance between overall good of the society and the financial stability of the institution has always fascinated me, and I hope my research will contribute to improving the financial health of institutions and thereby allowing medical professionals to better focus on their patients.”
Hyunsu Kim
On choosing CSUF: “I believe teaching is one of the important pillars of academia along with research and service. At Cal State Fullerton’s business college, I am looking forward to utilizing my real-world experiences and academic knowledge to assist students in preparing for a new career and making innovative workplace improvements. I would also like to collaborate closely with university and community partners in various entertainment and hospitality settings to help students acquire new skills and eventually achieve their career goals.”
An interesting fact: “I have traveled and lived in several different countries, including the United States, Italy, France, China, Japan, Singapore and Thailand. These international experiences exposed me to many cultures, ethnicities and religions, allowing me to interact effectively with other people. I have benefited from an environment where people of diverse backgrounds learn from one another, share ideas, and work closely and respectfully through collaborations, and often valuable lifelong friendships are developed.”
On his research: “My research has primarily focused on enhancing customer experience through various services and technological innovations in the entertainment and hospitality industry. In particular, service and technological innovation, such as virtual reality and augmented reality, can help facilitate social inclusion for the disabled, minority, or lower-income populations. For example, virtual reality technology allows users to have greater mobility through the virtual world. This technological innovation has significant potential to make entertainment and hospitality more accessible by transcending the limitations of physical mobility. Ultimately, my research efforts aim to reduce discrimination, promote diversity, pursue sustainability and resilience, and improve the overall quality of life in our society.”
Hunter Phoenix Van Wagoner
On choosing CSUF: “I thrive in an environment where I can incorporate my research on well-being, leadership and diversity into the classroom. The opportunity to engage with Cal State Fullerton’s diverse students on issues related to hidden and visible diversity is truly exciting.”
An interesting fact: “I grew up in a small town in Washington called Concrete, previously known as Cement City. The total population of Concrete has grown to 740 people as of 2019.”
On his research: “The overarching goal of my research is to understand how leadership, diversity and mental health emerge and interact at work. My research takes a person-centered approach using a variety of methods, such as daily surveys, chatbot mediated data collection, qualitative interviews and mixed methods. On a larger scale, my research employs these methods to help organizations understand the lived experiences of diverse and marginalized individuals working in fast-paced and often stressful work environments. Through a better understanding of hidden and visible diversity, leaders and organizations can better promote a more tolerant, diverse and inclusive society.”
MARKETING
Mehrnoosh Reshadi
On choosing CSUF: “I am excited to teach such a diverse group of students. Within my field, marketing, understanding the viewpoints and needs of diverse consumers is a key to business success. So, the multiplicity of experiences and knowledge that students of CSU Fullerton bring to the class can greatly enrich their own and others’ learning experience. I am eager to get to know CSUF students and their future career and personal plans more closely and to help them envision and reach a successful future.”
An interesting fact: “I studied one semester in Shanghai at Tongji University and one semester in Jamshedpur, India, at XLRI while earning my global MBA at Case Western University. I went through the program with a cohort of nearly 50 students from five countries. The entire experience was very eye opening. I not only earned a master’s degree and two certificates from three top institutions, but I learned a great many lessons that I could not have learned elsewhere. From cultural adaptation, conducting business and adjusting to local markets, to how to develop relationships with non-natives and those who speak a different language. It was a memorable experience that I constantly draw on in my teaching.”
On her research: “From math and analytics to human emotion and speech, we are affected by technology and AI even if we don’t call it AI. Our daily interactions, purchases, decisions – even our sleep – is mediated or monitored by smart technologies. We no longer can function without some form of smart algorithm or virtual space. These changes happen in all aspects of life, and marketers who develop products, services and platforms, need to know how to develop and integrate safe, responsible and useful AI and virtual spaces. We don’t want our next 20 years of metaverse discussions to become what happened to social media, which is rife with bullying, harassment and digital misbehavior.
Research on topics such as digital responsibility, virtual reality, synthetic media, smart products, robots and AI motivate me because I want to help consumers benefit from these technologies with as little harm as possible, and my research can help individuals, even myself, understand their own behavior and increase their overall wellbeing. Businesses can gain a lot from these technologies, so my research can provide guidance on how to take advantage of them for efficiency and profitability purposes while reducing harm to the users or the reputation of the company. I hope that by developing research into the public policy aspects of such technologies and digital responsibilities at individual and corporate levels, I can help humanity take advantage of some fantastic tools while finding ways to prevent and, if necessary, penalize bad actors who use digital tools, algorithms and AI for immoral purposes.”
Zhen “Jay” Yang
On choosing CSUF: “CSUF has a large enrollment, with a very diverse student body. I enjoy connecting with students from different cultures and backgrounds and also believe that diversity can improve students’ critical thinking skills, which is crucial to learning business. I see there are many collaboration opportunities between our business school and local companies. I also look forward to working with these companies to provide students with real-world experience.”
An interesting fact: “I did several cross-country road trips. My favorite one is the Historic Route 66, which is epic!”
On his research: “I have a background in IT/programming, and now I’m working towards a certificate in full-stack web development. I enjoy conducting interdisciplinary research between marketing and computer science. Such background and experiences also benefit my teaching of digital marketing. Technology is a double-edged sword. It provides opportunities but also raise some issues. So, my research goal is not only to provide suggestions to marketers but also to improve consumer well-being in the digital age.”
