Shilpa Rao

Shilpa V. Rao is an Assistant Professor of Practice in the Department of Marketing at Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business, joining in Fall 2022. She develops an AI in Marketing minor and holds a Ph.D. in Marketing from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, alongside an MBA in Marketing Analytics from Oklahoma State University. Her industry experience spans nearly a decade in IT leadership roles across sectors like banking (JPMorgan, FirstData), healthcare (United Health), and travel (Travelocity).

Education:

• Ph.D. in Marketing, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• MBA in Marketing Analytics, Oklahoma State University
• MS in Computer Applications
• BS in Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science (India)

Research & Teaching Focus:

• Substantive: Marketing strategy, inter-firm relationships, social media dynamics
• Methodological: Econometrics, machine learning, text analytics
• Specialized Topics: IPO valuation, franchising, online ratings analysis

Her work bridges marketing strategy with data-driven methodologies.

Professional Certifications:

• Base SAS Certified Programmer (2019)
• SAS & Oklahoma State Marketing Analytics Certification (2014)
• IBM Certified System Administrator (WebSphere, 2008)
• Sun Certifications (Java Programmer, Web Component Developer)

Labs/Initiatives: Leading development of the AI in Marketing academic minor at Pamplin College.