Meet Dr. Emily Zhu

Dr. Emily Zhu joined the McCoy College of Business in September 2019 as an assistant professor in Computer Information Systems & Quantitative Methods. Dr. Zhu completed her undergraduate studies at Nanjing University in China and received a master’s in financial mathematics at the University of Oxford. After spending a year working in investment banking in London, she sought a career path with greater impact. She then crossed the pond to pursue a Ph.D. in Operations Management at McGill University in Montreal. Her studies focused on data-driven decision-making in healthcare systems and renewable energy.

“I like talking with people, with stakeholders, and asking, ‘where’s your pain?’,” Dr. Zhu said. “Then I can define their specific problem. I am very proud of my breadth of knowledge. Even though I am not an expert in certain methodologies, I can get the feeling on when we need to go a certain direction and find expertise.”

Dr. Zhu began collaborating with colleagues across the university on research analyzing renewable energy in water systems. She is also co-leading, along with Dr. Dincer Konur, student research project with major Texas retailer, providing students the opportunity to practice skills in data analytics and visualization with real-life application, thus creating a bridge between their studies and their professional goals. Dr. Zhu feels an incredible sense of fulfillment leading this project because of the impact this creates for student success.

“I am really proud of our students at McCoy College,” Dr. Zhu said. “The students are very motivated. They want to tune their skills and get ready for their future jobs. I can sense that during the meetings, even when we start to recruit students, and they motivate me to work with them and try to do my best to support them.”

Outside of McCoy College, Dr. Zhu enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending time with her five-month-old son, Bradley. Her top three travel destinations are London, Paris, and Washington D.C. Consistent with her proficiency in healthcare systems, she also finds joy in discovering the healthiest food options — while making sure they are the tastiest options too, of course. Dr. Zhu is excited to explore more cultures and cuisines while traveling with her family in the future. ✯