Zhenling Jiang

Zhenling Jiang is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. She specializes in using

• econometric methods
• structural modeling
• machine learning
• causal inference

to study consumer behavior and market dynamics.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Marketing (2013-2019), Washington University in St. Louis
• M.A. in International Economics and Finance (2006-2008), Brandeis University
• B.A. in Economics (2002-2006), Nankai University

Her research focuses on consumer finance (e.g., bonus payments, credit access), empirical industrial organization (e.g., auto loan markets), and behavioral economics (e.g., left-digit bias, social motives in referrals). Methodologically, she integrates machine learning with structural econometric models to improve estimation accuracy and inform business strategy.

Recent publications demonstrate trends in

• neural network-based parameter estimation
• referral contagion effects
• policy-driven auto loan dynamics
• data-driven consumer lending

Her work appears in top journals such as Marketing Science, Journal of Marketing Research, and Management Science.

Scientific Awards:

• Wharton Teaching Excellence Award (2020, 2021)
• Finalist - Frank M. Bass Dissertation Paper Award

She teaches Data and Analysis for Marketing Decisions in both undergraduate and MBA programs at Wharton, with a focus on actionable insights through

• customer transaction analysis
• advertising effectiveness
• pricing strategies
• loyalty program evaluation

.