Research at the Coles College of Business

Research at the Coles College of Business is rigorous, relevant, and mission driven. Our faculty advance knowledge that informs practice, strengthens communities, and elevates student learning. Across disciplines, we pursue scholarship that is visible, impactful, and aligned with our mission to serve students, faculty, and the broader community.

Research Impact and Scholarly Productivity

Coles faculty publish in leading peer reviewed journals across operations, finance, accounting, management, marketing, information systems, analytics, and business education.

Our scholarship:

  • Appears in top tier journals across multiple ABDC and impact ranked categories
  • Receives strong citation impact across business disciplines
  • Contributes to policy discussions, industry practice, and educational innovation

In addition to journal publications, faculty contribute to practitioner outlets, policy briefs, funded research initiatives, and interdisciplinary collaborations. Key productivity metrics and highlights are showcased annually in the Coles Research Magazine.

Selected journals and outlets include

Operations Research
Production and Operations Management
Transportation Research Part B: Methodological
Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review
European Journal of Operational Research
Information Systems Research
Decision Support Systems
MIS Quarterly
Information Systems Research
Journal of Business Ethics
Journal of Finance
Accounting Horizons
Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education

External Funding and Sponsored Research

Coles faculty pursue competitive external support for both basic and applied research aligned with national priorities and regional needs.

Funding sources include:

  • National Science Foundation
  • U.S. Department of Homeland Security
  • National Institutes of Health
  • U.S. Department of Transportation
  • State of Georgia agencies
  • Industry sponsored research partnerships
  • Foundation supported initiatives

Sponsored research supports areas such as homeland security and infrastructure resilience, healthcare systems and supply chain analytics, digital healthcare innovation, transportation and logistics optimization, cybersecurity and information assurance, and entrepreneurship and economic mobility.

External funding enables interdisciplinary collaboration, supports graduate research assistants and undergraduate research engagement, and strengthens partnerships with government agencies, healthcare systems, and industry stakeholders.

Societal Impact

Coles defines societal impact as research, teaching, and engagement activities that intentionally create measurable benefits for business, community, and society.

Our societal impact strategy includes:

• Clear impact intent aligned with mission
• Documented activities and partnerships
• Evidence of outcomes and measurable change
• Multi year maturation plans for impact initiatives

Recent societal impact initiatives span areas such as:

• Economic mobility and workforce development
• Entrepreneurship and small business support
• Financial literacy and community engagement
• Supply chain resilience and disaster planning
• Healthcare innovation and digital transformation

Impact efforts are documented through structured plans that move from intent to activity to measurable outcomes over time.

Centers, Labs, and Student Engaged Research

Coles supports a vibrant ecosystem of research centers and laboratories that foster interdisciplinary collaboration and experiential learning.

These include:

  • Academic research centers supporting policy, entrepreneurship, analytics, and industry engagement
  • Specialized laboratories in information systems, cybersecurity, data analytics, and applied research
  • The Student Managed Investment Fund, where students actively manage real capital and apply financial theory in practice

These entities serve as platforms for:

  • Faculty scholarship
  • Grant activity
  • Student research involvement
  • Industry partnerships
  • Applied problem solving

They strengthen the bridge between research, teaching, and community engagement.

Related links:

Faculty Development and Research Support

The Associate Dean of Research coordinates initiatives that strengthen research capacity and scholarly culture across the college.

Support structures include:

Process improvements and automation initiatives allow faculty to spend more time on analysis, innovation, and closing the loop rather than routine reporting.

Research Events and Scholarly Community

Coles hosts a robust portfolio of scholarly events that foster intellectual exchange and visibility:

  • Research seminar series featuring national and international scholars
  • Coffee and Research conversations for informal idea exchange
  • Undergraduate and graduate research symposiums
  • Discipline specific research workshops
  • Practitioner engagement sessions

These events build community, encourage interdisciplinary collaboration, and support faculty at all career stages.

Data Driven Research Management

Research strategy is supported by structured governance and transparent metrics that strengthen sustainability and continuity.

Tools include:

  • Faculty qualification modeling
  • Publication and impact tracking dashboards
  • Strategic expense tagging aligned with mission priorities

These systems help the college monitor trends, surface risks early, and support data informed decisions.

Undergraduate and Graduate Research Engagement

Research at Coles is not confined to faculty scholarship. Students actively engage in research through:

  • Undergraduate research symposium initiatives
  • Graduate assistantships
  • Course embedded research projects
  • Industry sponsored applied research
  • Student Managed Investment Fund

Research engagement enhances critical thinking, analytical skills, professional readiness, and graduate school placement.

Research Magazine and Highlights

Coles annually shares research highlights, statistics, and stories of impact through the Coles Research Magazine:

Read the Coles Research Magazine

 

Faculty Expertise

Explore our faculty’s research interests, publications, and expertise through the resources below. These pages can be consolidated into a single Explore Research hub to simplify navigation and reduce dated or duplicated content.

Research Community

Coles sustains an active research community that supports idea exchange, collaboration, and visibility across faculty and students. Core touchpoints include:

These initiatives cultivate a vibrant research culture across faculty, doctoral students, and undergraduates.

Research Infrastructure and Support

Research excellence at Coles is supported by structured processes and institutional investment. Our goal is simple: reduce administrative friction so faculty can focus on inquiry, publication, and impact.

Faculty support includes: