Meet Warrington’s new faculty for 2023

The Warrington College of Business is proud to welcome five new faculty members to campus in the fall of 2023. Learn more about these outstanding new members of the Warrington team who will continue to strengthen the college’s reputation and prepare our students for success.

Eddie Sanchez | Clinical Assistant Professor | Eugene F. Brigham Finance, Insurance and Real Estate Department

Research focus: 

• Hedge funds and mutual funds
• Capital markets and investments
• Municipal bonds

Classes: 

• Valuation

Previous experience: 

• Finance Professor and Director of Bloomberg Financial Markets Lab – University of South Florida
• 15+ years of experience in portfolio management, security analysis and valuation

Education:

• Doctor of Business Administration – University of Florida
• MBA – Creighton University
• MS in Security Analysis and Portfolio Management – Creighton University
• MA in Economics – Trinity College-Hartford
• BS in Computer Science – Quinnipiac University

I graduated from the UF DBA program in 2019. Since then, my goal has been to join an acclaimed finance department, teach top finance students, and serve the UF community. I look forward to my new career at Warrington where I can expand my research, develop quality finance students, and deliver exceptional service. My professional and academic experiences have put me in a position to be highly successful in these areas. It’s an honor and privilege to be a faculty member at Warrington.”

 

Sima Sabahi | Clinical Assistant Professor | Information Systems and Operations Management Department

Research focus: 

• Applications of machine learning and operations management
• Artificial intelligence
• Supply chain resilience management

Classes: 

• Business Data Communications
• Business Intelligence
• AI Methods

Previous experience: 

• Instructional Assistant Professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering – University of Florida

Education:

• Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering – North Carolina A&T State University
• MSc and BS in Industrial Engineering – Ferdowsi University, Iran

I decided to join the faculty at Warrington because of its strong reputation in business education and cutting-edge research. I’m thrilled about the journey of learning and growth that my students and I will embark on together. I’m also genuinely excited about delving into research in the field of artificial intelligence.”

 

Heng Xu | Professor | Management Department

Research focus: 

• Responsible AI
• Data ethics
• Privacy protection
• Fairness in machine learning
• Cybersecurity management

Classes: 

• AI Governance
• Cybersecurity Management

Previous experience: 

• Professor of Information Technology and Analytics and Director of the Kogod Cybersecurity Governance Center – American University
• Associate Professor and Director of the Privacy Analytics Lab – Pennsylvania State University
• Program Director – National Science Foundation

Education:

• Ph.D. in Information Systems – National University of Singapore
• BBA in Information Management and Information Systems – Shandong University

Joining the faculty at Warrington was a decision deeply rooted in my passion for fostering connections across disciplines. Warrington’s top research programs and engaged community exude the kind of engagement, excellence, and innovation necessary to foster interdisciplinary collaboration.

In the past 17 years of my academic career, I had the privilege of getting involved in interdisciplinary research in privacy and security, data analytics, and machine learning from a wide variety of roles: as a business faculty (leading the Kogod Cybersecurity Governance Center at American University), as an information science faculty (founding the Privacy Analytics Lab at Penn State’s College of Information Sciences and Technology), and as a program director at National Science Foundation (managing multiple interdisciplinary research programs in big data and cybersecurity). From these different roles, I learned the importance of facilitating interdisciplinary research collaboration and knowledge sharing to address the emerging societal challenges posed by rapidly evolving technologies.

At Warrington, I am excited by the prospect of furthering my journey of bridging gaps and contributing my interdisciplinary experience to an already exceptional institution. I am particularly eager to engage with new colleagues and collaborators at Warrington, learning from their unique perspectives and sharing my insights. Collaborations that span across disciplines have the potential to generate groundbreaking advancements. Warrington’s vibrant academic community provides the ideal environment for this kind of synergy, and I am truly excited to be a part of it.

I am particularly excited about the opportunity to further my passion for interdisciplinary research, especially in the context of AI. The field of AI is rapidly evolving, and its implications extend far beyond just technology. By collaborating with experts from different fields, I aim to contribute to the development of AI systems that are not only technically proficient but also socially responsible. Warrington’s culture of fostering innovation and encouraging exploration will undoubtedly enrich my research and teaching, while also preparing students to tackle complex challenges by thinking beyond traditional boundaries.”

 

Valeria Marcia | Lecturer | Marketing Department

Research focus: 

• Application of machine learning in digital marketing analytics
• How artificial intelligence can enhance data-driven decision-making processes, facilitate customer engagement and contribute to the creation of innovative marketing strategies

Classes:

• Digital Marketing Analytics

Previous experience: 

• Attorney – Italy
• Creativity in Business instructor – UF Warrington College of Business

Education:

• Ph.D. in Private Comparative Law – University of Milan-Bicocca
• MSE – University of Florida
• School of Law – Bocconi University

I decided to join the faculty at Warrington not only because UF is one of the most important universities in the United States but particularly because Warrington Business School is innovation-driven, with a strong vocation for being at the forefront of teaching and a strong interest in AI. Lastly, the marketing team at Warrington is filled with outstanding professors, which further motivated my decision.

What I’m most looking forward to in my new role at the Warrington College of Business is the opportunity to engage with a vibrant community of students and faculty who share a passion for innovation and excellence. The school’s reputation for embracing cutting-edge technologies aligns perfectly with my research interests and teaching philosophy. I’m excited to contribute to Warrington’s vocation, which integrates data analytics, AI, and machine learning, empowering our students to be leaders in a rapidly evolving industry.”

 

Geoff Tomaino | Assistant Professor | Marketing Department

Research focus: 

• Consumer judgement and decision making
• How consumers make judgements and decisions in emerging technological contexts, like AI interactions and data markets

Classes:

• Consumer Behavior

Education:

• Ph.D. in Marketing – INSEAD
• MS in Economics – University of Surrey
• BS in Applied Economics – University of Minnesota

I joined Warrington because of both its outstanding legacy along with its bright future. I am thrilled to be somewhere at the forefront of behavioral marketing research, in terms of both theoretical and practical contributions. In particular, with the rise of consumer-ready AI, it is an incredibly interesting time to be a marketing researcher, and I believe Warrington will be an extremely supportive and exciting place to uncover what this will mean for consumers.”