Rosanna Smith

Rosanna Smith is an Associate Professor of Business Administration at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Gies College of Business, holding the John. M. Jones Faculty Fellowship. She co-leads the Gies Behavioral Research Lab and focuses on authenticity, aesthetics, and beauty standards in consumer behavior. Her research explores how brands convey authenticity, the impact of social media on beauty norms, and the psychological underpinnings of consumer decisions.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Marketing, Yale School of Management (2017)
• M.A. and M.Phil. in Marketing, Yale School of Management (2015)
• B.A. in Art (Magna Cum Laude), Yale University (2010)

Research Interests: Authenticity in branding, beauty work dynamics, consumer perceptions of aesthetics, and the intersection of social media with self-expression. Her work bridges marketing and psychology, published in journals like Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and Cognition.

Notable Contributions:

• Showed how simple packaging enhances consumer valuation (2023)
• Explored paradoxes in beauty standards, such as the ‘no-makeup movement’ (2022)
• Revealed mixed effects of interracial couples in advertising (2024)

Awards & Honors:

• MSI Young Scholar (2023)
• John. M. Jones Faculty Fellowship (2023–present)
• Excellence in Teaching Recognition (2024–present)

Advising & Grants: While specific grants are not detailed, her MSI Young Scholar award reflects sustained research impact. She advises students on interdisciplinary marketing projects and collaborates with the Gies Behavioral Research Lab on experimental studies.

Labs & Teams: Co-Coordinator of the Gies Behavioral Research Lab, which investigates consumer decision-making through controlled experiments and field studies.