David (Yongxin) Gao is a PhD Candidate in Marketing at the Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business, University of Missouri. His research focuses on marketing strategies at the marketing-entrepreneurship interface, with an emphasis on social media domains and societal implications. His key interests include influencer marketing, digital marketing, unstructured/multimodal data analysis, consumer-to-consumer (C2C) dynamics, sensory marketing, international sourcing/channel management, and non-profit/sustainability marketing.
Prior to his doctoral studies, David taught International Business – specializing in import/export supply chain and global marketing – and other business courses at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies from 2001 onward, receiving consistently excellent student evaluations. He brings substantial industry experience and has served as a marketing analyst for a Paris-based global market research firm in Guangzhou, offering analyses and insights for clients in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector. He also co-founded a family-owned business designing and producing flavors and fragrances for FMCG manufacturers, creating products that enrich consumer taste choices and preferences.
David holds an MA in TESOL from the University of Leeds (UK) and a BA in International Business (English Immersion) from Guangdong University of Foreign Studies (China). Having visited over 30 countries, his personal interests include hiking, tennis, fish-keeping, and paludarium design.