On December 1, USC Marshall faculty presented their latest research on artificial intelligence, supply chain management, the impact of regulation, and the physiological impact of entrepreneurship.
Hosted by Peer Fiss, associate dean for research, the annual event provides an interactive forum for tenure-track faculty to share research, receive feedback and engage with colleagues across the USC community.
“What makes this event special is that it invites discovery beyond your own discipline,” Fiss said. “Our junior faculty often ask some of the most compelling questions, and engaging with research that is unfamiliar or methodologically different pushes our boundaries and sparks new conversations.”
Faculty research included:
Analytics and Operations for Social Good
Somya Singhvi, Assistant Professor of Data Sciences and Operations
Singhvi’s research examines how data-driven operations can improve the welfare of supply chains and various markets that benefit underserved populations. The study explores how carefully designed mechanisms can expand productivity and resilience in industries such as agriculture, artisanal supply chains, and other social enterprises.
“The goal is to generate practically relevant, analytically rigorous insights that can inform public policy, platform design, and firm-level decisions in emerging and developing economies,” according to Singhvi’s research brief.
The Importance of Subjective Beliefs in Stock Prices
Ricardo De La O, Assistant Professor of Finance and Business Economics
De La O investigated how institutional investor demand impacts asset pricing, financial market dynamics, and pricing regulation. His work shows how errors in cash flow expectations influence aggregate stock market movements and the majority of cross-sectional stock dispersion, a challenge to the traditional belief that time-varying risk premia drive price fluctuations.
“The long-term goal of my agenda is to provide methodological frameworks to study beliefs as a disciplined, portable, and measurable object in asset pricing,” according to De La O’s research brief.
Gathering Information at a Distance
Quinn Maingi, Assistant Professor of Finance and Business Economics
Maingi’s study focuses on how distance and location impacts access to credit. In one section, he investigates how the closure of Silicon Valley Bank led to deposit outflows from regional banks to those with superior lending opportunities.
“My research lies at the intersection of spatial economics, industrial organization, and finance,” Maingi wrote in his brief. “This leads to a special focus on how information is gathered and transmitted at a distance and how informational frictions shape financial markets and the real economy. My work shows that these frictions span industries and markets, and have important implications for the real economy”
Maingi’s research in this area earned him an award for outstanding dissertation in financial intermediation. He also included a section on constructing climate risk hedge portfolios, for which he received an industry award from the International Center for Pension Management.
Artificial Intelligence for Innovation in Organizations
Bowen Lou, Assistant Professor of Data Sciences and Operations
Lou’s new study shows that AI investment equips firms to turn CEO turnover into innovation and growth, leads to new products through expanded market information, and reduces entry barriers for new entrepreneurs.
“A central theme is that AI is not just a technological tool — it is becoming an economic force that changes how organizations search, coordinate, and innovate,” according to Lou.
Neural Correlates of Entrepreneurial Pursuit
Glenn Fox, Assistant Professor of Clinical Entrepreneurship
Fox’s research examines the physiological effects of founding a company, with a focus on the stress responses of the heart and brain. Drawing on his background in neuroscience, Fox measured an entrepreneur’s heart responses during investor interactions, finding stronger stress reactions and reduced pitch performance when the investor was disengaged. In forthcoming studies, Fox plans to use brain scans and other measuring tools to analyze founder stress and determine new methods for decreasing these physiological strains.
“My research explores how entrepreneurs navigate the personal challenges of founding a company by integrating modern neuroscience and psychophysiology measurements with frameworks from performance psychology and entrepreneurial theory,” according to Fox’s research brief.
Strategic Interactions, Innovation, and Labor
Daisy Wang, Assistant Professor of Finance and Business Economics
Wang’s research investigates how firms innovate, compete, hire, and disclose information. The study examines when Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) supports startup success and when it dampens competition.
