Jennifer Andrews
Ph.D. Student
Jennifer earned her Bachelor's degree in French and Spanish Literature from the University of Washington in 1997 and her Master's degree in Business from the Eller MBA program at The University of Arizona in 2002. She has worked in the hotel and restaurant industry, as well as managed operations for a non-profit new business incubator. Prior to entry into the Retailing and Consumer Sciences Ph.D. program, Jennifer was co-owner of a local Tucson restaurant. Currently, she is managing multiple research projects at The University of Arizona. Jennifer's research interests lie in the effects of culture on retailing and consumer behavior.
Basil Chiu
Ph.D. Student
Basil was born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, where he received the Canadian equivalent of an Associate’s Degree in Public Relations, and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Directed Interdisciplinary Studies. Afterwards, he received his Master of Business Administration, specializing in Marketing, in Detroit, Michigan.
Basil also has work experience in data collection and sales. His most interesting jobs were as an account manager with the Ottawa 67’s Hockey Club, racing car mechanic, and graphic designer.
He chose The University of Arizona because it is quite possibly the world leader in Consumer Culture Theory (CCT). He plans to become a professor after graduation, to answer the question, “How does one create excitement around a brand, store, intellectual property, event, etc.?” He also hopes his research will dovetail with his passion for motor sports.
When not studying, Basil continues to study experience and culture on a first-hand basis, especially via photography and gastronomy.
Lin Guo
Ph.D. Student
Lin received her Bachelor's degree in Economics in 2001 and Master's degree in Business Management in 2004 both from Renmin University ( Bejing, China ). During her graduate studies in China, she had 3 papers published in China 's core journals. With her collaborators, she won third place in China 's 3rd National Business Plan Competition and second place in China 's 8th National Academic Paper Competition of University Students. She was also awarded the scholarship of creativity and research excellence from Renmin University for the academic year 2002-2003. Her current research interest is in the service retailing and customer relationship management area.
Sanyu Kibuka
M.S. Student
Sanyu earned a dual Bachelor's degree in Economics and French from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. After graduation she worked in Washington D.C. for various statistical research firms before joining Retailing and Consumer Sciences at The University of Arizona as a Master's student.
Sanyu's interests lie in consumer behavior, customer relationship management databases, and market research. After graduating from the Master's program, she hopes to work as a Market Research Analyst in the retail industry.
Jung-Kyun Kim
M.S. Student
Jung received his Bachelor's degree in Marketing (summa cum laude) from The University of Arizona in August 2006. Intrigued by a number of fascinating academic inquiries and intellectual challenges while pursuing his undergraduate degree, he joined the graduate program in Retailing and Consumer Sciences as a Master's student immediately following graduation.
Interested in studying socio-cultural as well as international issues in consumer behavior, Jung aspires to either find a job in Japan that can utilize the knowledge he will have gained in the Retailing and Consumer Sciences graduate program or join a doctoral program in the retailing/marketing field.
Anubha Mishra
Ph.D. Student
Anubha completed her Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Pune University, India, in 2002. On completion of her MBA, she worked as an Assistant Brand Manager with a fast-moving consumer goods company in India for approximately two years. Her job responsibilities included new product development, market analysis, and development of integrated marketing communication strategies.
While working with vendors, manufacturers, and retailers in India, the evolving retail industry triggered her interest in the subject. The difficulties and hurdles she faced on the job assured her that there ought to be better ways for things to work. Aspiring to find the "better ways," she joined the Doctoral program in Retailing and Consumer Sciences, The University of Arizona. Her research interests lie in retail strategies, buying behavior, and brand management.
Guillian Ochoa
M.S. Student
Guillian received her Bacherlor's degree in International Relations in Monterrey, Mexico at ITESM - Monterrey Tech in 2002. Upon completing her degree requirements, she decided to go back to her retailing entrepreneurial roots as a business owner in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. Owning and operating a successful retail store led Guillian to pursue the academics in Retailing and Consumer Science to better understand and research consumer behaviour and purchasing patterns. Her interests include customer retention, service retailing and non-store retailing. Her future plans include working with a consulting firm, as well as continuing to develop her business interests in the United States and Mexico.
Claudia Ratto
M.S. Student
Claudia graduated from The University of Arizona in May 2005 with a B.S. in Retailing and Consumer Sciences. She is currently working part time at Ann Taylor Loft and has previously worked at Mervyn's. Claudia completed an undergraduate internship at the Tucson Medical Center Hospital Gift Shop, which exposed her to the buying and merchandising practices for the shop. With her experience working in retail, she decided to continue her education by pursing her Master's degree in Retailing and Consumer Sciences. She felt that she could learn more about the retail industry and provide herself with more career options in the future.
Currently, Claudia is interested in buying behavior and motives behind consumer purchases. She is fascinated with popular culture and how trends or fads affect buying behavior in different product categories. She also has an interest in sports retailing and brand loyalty. Upon completion of her Master's degree, she hopes to work for a marketing research firm or work in the research and development department for a corporation. She would like to use all of the knowledge she has gained from the Retailing and Consumer Sciences program and be successful within the retail industry.
Rena Shifren
Ph.D. Student
Rena received both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Florida in the area of Food Science and Human Nutrition. While at UF, she worked full-time as a Biological Scientist, conducting laboratory and sensory research on various food products, as well as managing the sensory evaluation facility. Rena was involved in designing and executing a multitude of sensory tests, including training expert taste panels using different methodologies.
Prior to coming to The University of Arizona, Rena worked for several years for the Dial/Henkel Corporation, a consumer packaged goods company. At Dial, she was in the Sensory and Consumer Products Research area where she conducted numerous qualitative and quantitative studies on laundry products, food products, insecticides, household cleaners, etc. Some of the methods used include observational research, trained panels, focus groups, and survey research. Rena is currently the Chair of the Cactus Section of the Institute of Food Technologists. Having experienced academia and industry, Rena saw value in combining her sensory background with a business-related focus to gain a deeper understanding of consumer interactions with retailers and products/services. As a result, she joined the Doctoral program in Retailing and Consumer Sciences. Her current research interests include sensory perception and consumer behavior.
Chuanyi Tang
Ph.D. Student
Chuanyi is a Doctoral student in the Retailing and Consumer Sciences program at The University of Arizona. He received his Bachelor's degree in Engineering from Donghua University and Master's degree in Business Management from Renmin University in China. He taught at Beijing Institute of Clothing Technology for four years. His past research experience involves fashion product management and environmental issues in product and supply chain management. He has won two national awards in business planning and academic paper competitions and published 15 papers and books in China. His current research interests include international retailing, on-line retailing, and quantitative research methodology.
James ("Jamie") Tenser
M.S. Student
James ("Jamie") Tenser received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and studied Media at New York University. He is presently completing a M.S. degree at the University of Arizona 's Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing.
He is considered an authority on retailing, brand marketing, consumer loyalty and Internet strategy. He is frequently quoted in national and international media and trade publications. He contributes to periodicals such as Advertising Age, RetailWire, Chain Store Age, RetailTech, Executive Technology, Supermarket News, Brand Marketing, and eRetailing World. He has made numerous television and radio appearances, and is a frequent speaker at industry trade shows and conferences, including Internet World, iGrocer, Retail Systems 2001, the International E-Commerce Congress (Germany), Grocery Manufacturers of America Internet Marketing Conference, and e-Retail '99.
Jamie specializes in business strategy, research and analysis for the retail, services and consumer products sector. Since 1996 he has maintained a particular focus on customer service practices, multichannel retailing and related technology, and he has authored two books in the field.
He secured an NRF Foundation/American Express Co. research grant in Aug., 2003 to author Customer Service Excellence 2004 ; and presented the book's findings at NRF annual meeting in New York, Jan. 2004. His current research focus extends this work to develop a multi-dimensional, customer experience benchmarking tool that may be linked to CRM.
Jiayun Wu
Ph.D. Student
While earning his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Engineering in China, a variety of research methodologies and topics triggered Jiayun's interest. Later, Jiayun's work as an editor and foreign rights manager, in which he edited books/magazines and secured foreign copyrights for a national publisher, gave him a "real-world" view of market trends and consumer preferences. It also spurred his curiosity and interest regarding business and consumer research.
Reflecting upon his work as a tutor and teaching assistant during his graduate studies, Jiayun found that he enjoyed sharing his passions, interests, and curiosity. Coupled with his desire to do original research, he knew that he wanted to dedicate his life to work in an academic setting wherein he could inspire others as well as find answers to the questions that especially interest him (something he could not do as freely in business or industry). Additionally, study and research in retailing and consumer sciences entertains a broad field of interests as well as provides practical benefits to consumers and marketers. In particular, he chose to study in The University of Arizona's Retailing and Consumer Sciences program because of its diversity in research and accessibility to faculty.
RCSC Graduate Program
RCSC Research Faculty