PhD candidate: Online Marketing & Technology
Join the leading research team in digital marketing at the University of Barcelona
Call for PhD applications
The Business, Marketing and Technology research group at the University of Barcelona accepts applications from highly motivated candidates to pursue PhD studies in the field of Online Marketing and Emerging Technologies. Our research is based on scientific excellence and is led by two of Spain's leading marketing academics: Dr. Santiago Forgas Coll and Dr. Rubén Huertas García.
We are particularly interested in candidates who wish to explore the intersection between marketing science, consumer behavior, artificial intelligence and digital innovation.
Priority Research Topics
Online consumer behavior and engagement strategies
Artificial Intelligence and algorithmic decision-making in marketing
Social robots and human-computer interaction in customer service
Digital trust, transparency, and ethics in data collection
Personalization, neuromarketing, and user profiling
Marketing automation and predictive customer analytics
Social media influence and network-based brand diffusion
Scientific mapping and bibliometric analysis in digital marketing
Dr. Santiago Forgas Coll
Academic Leadership
Santiago Forgas-Coll (PhD), has extensive experience in team management and coordination. He has been delegate of the rector for masters and postgraduate courses in the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Barcelona and director of the Master in Marketing and Market Research at the UB.
Research Direction
He currently directs the consolidated business research group (UB) recognized by the Generalitat de Catalunya. He is an associate professor in the Department of Business at the University of Barcelona.
Research Interests
His main research interests cover all aspects of Artificial Intelligence and Social Robotics, digital marketing and service marketing, with a special focus on consumer behavior. He leads international research projects funded by the European Union and CDTI, focused on AI-driven decision systems and digital customer experience.
Publications
He has published articles in several top international journals such as Journal of Business Research, The Service Industries Journal, Journal of Innovation and Knowledge, Industrial Management & Data Systems, Online Information Review, Service Business, Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, International Journal of Social Robotics, International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal and Management Decision among many others.
Dr. Rubén Huertas García
Academic Position
Rubén Huerta-García (PhD) is Serra-Húnter Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Barcelona.
Research Focus
His lines of research cover topics related to different areas of marketing research, with emphasis on digital marketing, experimental design methodology, optimization using machine learning algorithms and AI, and their application to areas as diverse as market segmentation or sales forecasting using big data, fake data detection, as well as applications in social robotics.
Expertise
His expertise lies in digital persuasion, and the psychological mechanisms behind consumer decisions in online environments.
Publications
He is widely published in high-impact journals and actively contributes to innovation in marketing education. His work has been published in journals such as Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, Psychology & Marketing, Journal of Business Research, The Service Industries Journal and International Journal of Social Robotics, among others.
Apply to join the PhD program
Candidate Profile
We are looking for candidates with a strong academic background in marketing, business administration, psychology, data science or communication. A strong interest in technology and research methodology is essential.
Contact Information
To apply for PhD supervision, please contact:
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