From engineering to marketing: Mizzou PhD program opens doors to academic careers, industry
For Majid Nikyar, the journey to a PhD in marketing began with an unexpected discovery: a textbook.
During his final year studying civil engineering, Nikyar picked up Philip Kotler's Principles of Marketing. What he found inside changed the direction of his career.
“Engineering taught me to think in systems and numbers, but marketing was about people and why they choose what they choose,” he said. “Switching paths was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
Today, Nikyar is a doctoral student in marketing at the University of Missouri's Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business, where he uses large-scale data and field experiments to study how companies build lasting relationships with their customers in subscription and digital markets.
His experience illustrates what makes Mizzou's marketing PhD program distinctive: opportunities to pursue meaningful research, collaborate closely with accomplished faculty and prepare for a successful career in academia.
Now, with expanded faculty expertise, increased financial support and a strong record of graduate placement, the program is seeking its next cohort of scholars.
A program built around research and mentorship
Mizzou's marketing PhD program prepares students for careers both in industry and as university faculty members and researchers. The program combines established strengths in quantitative marketing and marketing strategy with growing opportunities in consumer behavior, offering students the flexibility to explore a broad range of research interests.
Helping guide that work is Detelina Marinova, the Samuel M. Walton Distinguished Professor of Marketing and coordinator of the marketing PhD program. An accomplished scholar, Marinova earned her doctorate from the University of Cincinnati and has built a research career examining customer interactions, marketing analytics and the application of emerging technologies to marketing challenges.
Her work has appeared in leading academic journals, and she has served in editorial leadership roles, including as co-editor of the Journal of Marketing. Her research has also received support from organizations including the National Institutes of Health and the Marketing Science Institute.
For Marinova, the program's expanding research opportunities represent an investment in the future of marketing scholarship.
“What makes our program special is the opportunity for students to develop as independent scholars while working closely with faculty who are passionate about research and mentorship. With our expanded expertise in consumer behavior, our strengths in marketing analytics and strategy, and our increased financial support, we're creating an environment where talented, curious students can pursue important questions and prepare for meaningful academic careers.”
World-class faculty and dedicated resources for research create opportunities for individualized mentoring and research collaboration. Students work alongside faculty whose research appears in leading academic journals, including the Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Marketing Science and Journal of Consumer Research.
For Nikyar, those relationships were a major reason he chose Mizzou.
“My advisor, Dr. Detelina Marinova, pushes me to ask big questions that matter outside academia too,” he said.
Through the Center for Sales and Customer Development and faculty partnerships with companies, Nikyar also has opportunities to investigate real business challenges using industry data.
His research examines how consumers develop routines around subscription services, how those habits change over time and how businesses can create experiences that strengthen long-term customer relationships.
The opportunity to connect academic research with practical business problems is particularly meaningful to Nikyar, who hopes to become a professor at a research university.
He is already gaining classroom experience teaching Marketing Management.
From Mizzou to leadership in the field
For Shrihari “Hari” Sridhar, the decision to pursue a marketing PhD at Mizzou also began with an unexpected encounter.
Sridhar was pursuing a master's degree in engineering management at Missouri University of Science and Technology, with plans to continue into an engineering doctoral program.
Then came across the work of Mizzou marketing professor Murali Mantrala.
During a 45-minute phone conversation, Mantrala described a research question involving the pharmaceutical industry: When should a company introduce an over-the-counter version of a drug that is still under patent?
Sridhar was fascinated by the idea that a complex business decision could be studied through mathematical modeling and evidence.
Mantrala invited him to Columbia to learn more about pursuing a PhD in business.
“That phone call remains the most important one of my professional life,” Sridhar said.
Today, Sridhar is senior associate dean of Mays Business School at Texas A&M University, a professor of marketing and holder of the Joe B. Foster ’56 Chair in Business Leadership. He served as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Marketing from 2022 to 2025 and was named a fellow of the American Marketing Association in 2026.
His research examines the financial and societal impact of marketing strategy, including how organizations can translate investments in artificial intelligence into meaningful results.
Despite his many professional accomplishments, Sridhar points to the relationships he developed at Mizzou as the foundation of his career.
Mantrala became more than a dissertation adviser. He became a lifelong mentor and research collaborator.
“He taught me how to do research, but he also taught me how to live,” Sridhar said.
Sridhar believes the program's broad approach to marketing scholarship is another important advantage.
While some doctoral programs concentrate heavily on a single discipline or methodology, he values Mizzou's integration of quantitative marketing, marketing strategy and consumer behavior.
“I call it a holistic PhD experience, and it is the key distinguishing feature of Mizzou,” he said.
That foundation, he believes, prepares graduates not simply for their first faculty position, but for decades of research, teaching and academic leadership.
Investing in future scholars
The Trulaske College of Business is making a significant financial investment in its doctoral students.
Marketing PhD students who maintain satisfactory academic progress receive an annual stipend of at least $35,000, along with a full tuition waiver, health insurance subsidy and professional development funding.
Students also receive research and teaching assistantships, providing opportunities to work closely with faculty and develop the skills essential to an academic career.
The program's record of graduate placement offers further evidence of its effectiveness.
The program has a 100% placement rate for its marketing PhD graduates, with most securing initial positions as tenure-track faculty members at research universities.
Recent graduates have accepted positions at institutions including the University of Southern California, Washington State University and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Alumni have also built careers at institutions such as Texas A&M University and the University of Notre Dame.
While the program primarily prepares students for academic careers, the research skills they develop also have applications beyond higher education. Technology companies including Google and Amazon recruit doctoral-level researchers to investigate consumer behavior, evaluate advertising effectiveness and develop sophisticated marketing models. These roles illustrate how expertise in marketing analytics and consumer research can translate into opportunities across industries.
For prospective students, the program's academic placement record, combined with the broader relevance of advanced marketing research skills, demonstrates the possibilities that can follow years of rigorous research and mentorship.
Curiosity is the starting point
Neither Nikyar nor Sridhar began his academic journey expecting to pursue a PhD in marketing.
Both discovered a field where their quantitative backgrounds could help answer questions about businesses, consumers and human behavior. Both found faculty mentors who helped turn that curiosity into a research career.
And both believe that intellectual curiosity matters more than following a conventional path.
“You don’t need a perfect marketing background,” Nikyar said. “I came from civil engineering, and it turned out to be an advantage. What matters most is curiosity and patience with hard questions.”
For Sridhar, the advice is equally straightforward: embrace the challenges of doctoral study and invest in developing the skills that will sustain a career.
“Take the time to build a strong foundation in how to think, how to question, and how to write,” he said.
For those ready to ask difficult questions, pursue original research and help shape the future of marketing, Mizzou offers an opportunity to turn curiosity into a career.
Applications are now being accepted for the marketing PhD program. Applications received by Dec. 15 receive maximum consideration, with applications accepted through Feb. 1.
Learn more about the program, financial support and application requirements at business.missouri.edu, or contact marketing PhD coordinator Detelina Marinova at marinovad@missouri.edu.