This past fall, Stanford University released its latest update to the World’s Top 2% Scientists, a prestigious worldwide ranking of researchers for their impact in their field. Stanford highlighted nine Goizueta faculty as top scholars for 2025 and nine Goizueta faculty as top scholars over the course of their careers. With seven faculty receiving accolades for both categories, a total of 11 Goizueta faculty members made the list.
The study highlights researchers whose work is widely read and cited by other scholars, using several well-established measures of research influence including publication and citation data from the Scopus database (provided by Elsevier through ICSR Lab).
“Our faculty are more than educators—they are pioneering thought leaders shaping industries and redefining the future of business,” shared John H. Harland Dean of Goizueta Business School Gareth James. “They tackle today’s most pressing challenges and uncover tomorrow’s greatest opportunities, driving positive impact throughout industry and the world.”
Introducing the World’s Top 2% Scientists
Emory Business is proud to recognize these distinguished Goizueta faculty members among the top two percent of scholars in the world:
Career-long and 2025 Scholars
Tucker Balch, Professor in the Practice and Research of Finance and Director of Goizueta Center for AI in Finance
Anandhi Bharadwaj, Goizueta Endowed Chair in Electronic Commerce and Professor of Information Systems & Operations Management
Tarun Chordia, R. Howard Dobbs, Jr. Chaired Professor of Finance
Ilia Dichev, Goizueta Foundation Chair in Financial Reporting, Professor of Accounting, and Director and Associate Dean of PhD Program
Narasimhan Jegadeesh, Dean’s Distinguished Chair of Finance
Wei Jiang, Vice Dean for Faculty and Charles Howard Candler Professor of Finance
Jagdish Sheth, Charles H. Kellstadt Chaired Professor of Business
2025 Scholars
Gareth James, John H. Harland Dean of Goizueta Business School and Professor of Information Systems & Operations Management
Jill Perry-Smith, Professor of Organization & Management; Academic Director, The Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation
Career-long
Sandy Jap, Sarah Beth Brown Professor of Marketing
Jay Shanken, Professor Emeritus (2024) in Finance
Insights from Goizueta’s Distinguished Faculty
Recognized as leaders in their respective fields, Goizueta’s distinguished faculty bring deep expertise, real-world perspective, and a commitment to advancing business research and practice. Their paths to academic excellence and global recognition reflect the school’s impact on both professional achievement and personal growth.
Emory Business spoke with these professors about what drives their work, the experiences that have informed their careers, and the defining moments that have shaped their success.
Tucker Balch
What inspired you to choose Goizueta?
I was recently at Georgia Tech as a professor of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and then JPMorgan as a managing director in AI research. I wanted to return to academia. Moving to a business school was a significant pivot for me. I was excited to find a top school like Goizueta with a strong research reputation and faculty with AI interests that I could collaborate with. The students are also brilliant, and I love working with them.
How did Goizueta support your journey to becoming part of the top 2% of scholars worldwide?
The Top 2% ranking is mainly about one’s publication record. I have a strong record in computer science and AI, but I am new to Finance. The traditions and process are quite different from my earlier experiences. I’m lucky to have mentors here at Goizueta who are helping me navigate this new territory.
Anandhi Bharadwaj
What inspired you to choose Goizueta?
When I joined Emory University in 1994, the business school was not yet named Goizueta—it was simply Emory Business School. At that time, Benn Konsynski was the only other faculty member in my field, Information Systems, and it was his invitation and vision that initially drew me here. Professor Konsynski’s forward-thinking perspective on digital technology and its transformative role in the business world deeply resonated with me. His guiding vision not only inspired me to join the school but also fostered an environment that has kept me motivated to contribute to Goizueta’s growth and evolution over the years. The school’s commitment to innovation and excellence has only solidified my decision to remain a part of this vibrant community.
How did Goizueta support your journey to becoming part of the top 2% of scholars worldwide?
Goizueta has been an incredible source of support throughout my academic career, providing both tangible and intangible resources that have significantly contributed to my success. On a tangible level, the school’s commitment to fostering a research-driven ecosystem has been invaluable—offering resources such as summer salary support, access to specialized databases, funding for conference travel, and more. On an intangible level, the vibrant academic community at Goizueta has been a constant source of inspiration. The flourishing PhD program has allowed me to collaborate with some of the brightest doctoral students, while the broader Emory network and the research ecosystem in Atlanta, with its concentration of world-class scholars across universities, have undoubtedly enriched my research journey.
Tarun Chordia
What inspired you to choose Goizueta?
I moved from Vanderbilt University to Emory as an assistant professor in summer 2000. At the time Tom Robertson was the Dean and Goizueta was transitioning from a teaching to a research school while still maintaining great teaching. One of Dean Robertson’s goals was to improve the reputation of the finance area. I had a ring-side seat to what was happening in the finance department and in the school in terms of increasing the research focus of the faculty by starting a doctoral program and subscribing to all the standard datasets. With the support of the dean as well as the leadership in the university we were able to strategically hire senior people in the finance department such that today we are amongst the top finance departments.
Ilia Dichev
What inspired you to choose Goizueta?
It was a combination of things: great university and business school, great group of faculty in my academic area (Accounting), the attraction of Atlanta as a growing, business-oriented city, which is very green and with warm weather year-round. Being appointed to the distinguished position of the Goizueta Foundation Chair of Financial Reporting was definitely a big factor (so, big thanks to The Goizueta Foundation). Plus, the personal involvement of some key Goizueta people made it happen. Perhaps most importantly, on some gut level, it just felt right.
How did Goizueta support your journey to becoming part of the top 2% of scholars worldwide?
My most successful research project after arriving at Goizueta relied on personal access to CFOs of top companies. The dean and the alumni office at the time made most of these contacts possible. Plus, the school has top-notch working conditions all around. I am very grateful to Goizueta for the incredible opportunities to do quality work.
Gareth James
What inspired you to choose Goizueta?
Goizueta Business School stood out to me as a premier institution with a compelling combination of strengths. As a Top 20 business school within a Top 20 university, Goizueta offers a world-class environment for both research and teaching. The school has built an exceptional research community, where faculty members not only produce groundbreaking work but also make a tangible impact on the business world.
Beyond the intellectual vibrancy, Goizueta provides strong financial resources that support high-caliber research, including access to top-tier data acquisition, research funding, and a rigorous PhD program. This commitment to advancing knowledge and fostering innovation makes it an ideal place for scholars who seek to push the boundaries of their fields.
Sandy Jap
What inspired you to choose Goizueta?
I came to Goizueta 24 years ago after having been on the faculty at MIT. While MIT is an amazing place in and of itself, what attracted me to Goizueta was the possibility of being in a faculty group that really valued and understood the research that I wanted to do. I’m also not a big fan of cold winter weather.
How did Goizueta support your journey to becoming part of the top 2% of scholars worldwide?
While I have had opportunities to leave (I visited Wharton for a year), I have remained at Goizueta because it is less bureaucratic than larger schools and provides important summer and research support that many schools do not. Goizueta is an entrepreneurial environment that allows me to take on new initiatives and directions as needed to advance my research. There is also a very supportive alumni base which is always willing to speak in my classes and connect me to the decision makers in their organization who would be willing to support my research with data.
Wei Jiang
What inspired you to choose Goizueta?
It was a privilege to join a finance department already with three (and now a total of five) Top 2% scholars worldwide, reflecting a strong research environment and an intellectually vibrant community. I valued the opportunity to work alongside faculty whose seminal research I had studied extensively as a PhD student and cited as foundational to my own work. Being part of a department where groundbreaking ideas are developed and advanced was both inspiring and motivating.
Jegadeesh Narasimhan
What inspired you to choose Goizueta?
I was drawn to Goizueta because of its ambitious vision to become a leader in the field. At the time I joined, the school was making strategic hires of top scholars, strengthening its focus on rigor and academic excellence. Its growing reputation was gaining well-deserved recognition, and the school’s proposed launch of the PhD program underscored a strong commitment to long-term academic leadership. These factors offered an exciting and intellectually stimulating environment—an ideal place not only to advance my research and teaching but also to contribute to Goizueta’s progress toward its ambitious vision.
How did Goizueta support your journey to becoming part of the top 2% of scholars worldwide?
Goizueta’s strong culture of academic excellence provided an ideal environment for impactful research. I had the privilege of working alongside colleagues who are thought leaders in the profession, engaging in stimulating intellectual exchanges. The school’s regular academic seminars brought in leading scholars, fostering a dynamic and enriching research atmosphere. The launch of the PhD program further strengthened this environment, attracting bright students and promoting vibrant research activity.
Additionally, because my research focuses on rigorous empirical testing of theory, Goizueta’s generous financial support for data and research assistance was invaluable in enabling high-quality studies. Importantly, all of us—faculty and students—collectively contributed to enhancing Goizueta’s reputation as a place of excellence. At the same time, we all benefited from its growing visibility, which expanded opportunities for collaboration and increased our scholarly impact.
Jill Perry-Smith
What inspired you to choose Goizueta?
Goizueta was my first appointment after earning my PhD from across town at GA Tech. I very much respected the faculty’s research in areas related to my research domains and thought being here would push my research in interesting and impactful ways. During my doctoral program, I recall thinking it would be a wonderful twist to stay in Atlanta. This is very unusual to do in our field – so many factors have to align such as timing, area of focus, etc, so when I first mentioned this thought, I was quickly told to think again. Well, the stars aligned, as they say. The combination of excellent fit with my research goals and staying in the city of Atlanta made Goizueta a clear choice for me.
How did Goizueta support your journey to becoming part of the top 2% of scholars worldwide?
I think support comes in a variety of forms. A key form, of course, are resources to conduct research. Another is cover, including protection from responsibilities that can take away from the energy and focus needed to engage with research, particularly at the assistant professor phase. A third is access to data and participants. My experience here has been positive on all of these fronts.
Jay Shanken
What inspired you to choose Goizueta?
The school, led by Tom Robertson, was committed to taking the already very good finance group to the next level and Professor Jegadeesh Narasimhan and I were recruited at the same time. The commitment to faculty research was backed up by a low teaching load for chaired faculty and they made me an aggressive offer. I always enjoyed working with PhD students and the fact that the school would soon be starting a PhD program in finance was definitely a consideration as well. Although Rochester’s Simon School was very strong in those days, Atlanta seemed like it would be a better place to live at that point in my life. All of these factors together resulted in my decision to move to Emory and I enjoyed my many years there.
How did Goizueta support your journey to becoming part of the top 2% of scholars worldwide?
It was the excellent overall academic environment and colleagues. Specifics like the low teaching load mentioned above and the nice view from my office helped.
Jagdish Sheth
What inspired you to choose Goizueta?
There were three specific reasons. First, I wanted to move to the East Coast from the West Coast and in a moderate climate. Second, I did not want a long commute and wanted to have housing nearby. Finally, Emory University provided opportunities to grow the marketing area with new and innovative programs and recruit young faculty. For example, we focused on relationship marketing and became among the top ten marketing departments in the country.
How did Goizueta support your journey to becoming part of the top 2% of scholars worldwide?
When I joined the Goizueta in 1991, we were an up and coming business school. Both President James Laney and Dean John Robson were committed to investing in professional schools and their graduate programs including the MBA and the Executive MBA programs. They had already recruited senior faculty in Finance and Management and they wanted me to lead the Marketing discipline. Over the past 30 years, Goizueta gave me opportunities both at the business school and the university level to be on several committees including the personnel committee and Emory’s inaugural Presidential Advisory Committee (PAC). My professional growth and recognition came from the silent language of Emory culture that states that you belong here. Finally, Atlanta was emerging as a global hub city and many large companies such as Coca-Cola, Delta, UPS, and Home Depot were headquartered here. Atlanta is also the capital of Georgia. This allowed me to contribute to policy work especially for the telecommunications industry.
Goizueta faculty are eminent in their respective fields, advancing global knowledge and inspiring further research. Learn more about the research projects driven by our esteemed Goizueta faculty.
