Anshu Arora, Ph.D.

Dr. Anshu Saxena Arora, a tenured professor of marketing at UDC’s School of Business and Public Administration, is a distinguished scholar and leader in AI-driven marketing, consumer behavior, and social robotics, directing pioneering research initiatives on human-robot interaction, ethical AI governance, and inclusive technology applications.

Experience

Education

Ph.D. in Marketing and Technology (Consumer Navigation Behavior in Hypermedia Computer Mediated Environments, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, India 
Certificate in Robotics and Automation Essentials, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 
Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification, Project Management Institute 
Master of Business in Administration: Marketing and Technology, FORE School of Management, New Delhi, India 
Bachelor of Technology: Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Jamia Millia Islamia Central Government University, New Delhi, India 
Certificate in Programming Foundations with JavaScript, HTML and CSS, Duke University 
Certificate in ‘Sustainability and Green Business, University of Queensland, Australia 
Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management, Information Systems Examinations Board, United Kingdom 

Roles

Professor of Marketing (Tenured), School of Business and Public Administration, UCD, 2024-Present 
Associate Professor of Marketing (Tenured), School of Business and Public Administration, UCD, 2021-24 
Founding & Current Director, Logistics & International Trade (LIT) Center, 2018-Present 
Founding & Current Director, AI, Social Robotics & Behavioral Research Lab, 2018-Present 
Chair, Assurance of Learning (AoL) and AACSB Assessment Committee, 2020-Present 
Leader, NSF-Funded International Study & Research Abroad Programs 

Courses Taught

Undergraduate Courses

Introduction to Marketing 
International Marketing 
Marketing Research with AI / Robotics 
Digital Marketing 
Market Innovation & Design 
Advertising & Promotion Management 
Marketing Principles 
Marketing Research 
Social Media Marketing 
Consumer Behavior 

Graduate Courses

Marketing Management  
Marketing Strategy 
International Marketing Management 

Expertise

Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications in marketing and consumer behavior; social robotics; social-educational-ethical-collaborative robotics; social robotics for autism spectrum disorder; social robotics for underrepresented minority women; human-robot interaction; user experienced and consumer experience; AI policy/regulation/governance across the United States, European Union, and China; social media marketing and analytics; digital marketing; social media strategy mix and social medai measurement; innovative experiential learning pedagogies; stereotypical advertising polysemy; relational supply chain management strategy relationships; project management 

Research Focus / Works in Progress

Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications in marketing and consumer behavior; social robotics; social-educational-ethical-collaborative robotics; social robotics for autism spectrum disorder; social robotics for underrepresented minority women; human-robot interaction; user experienced and consumer experience; AI policy/regulation/governance across the United States, European Union, and China; social media marketing and analytics; digital marketing; social media strategy mix and social medai measurement; innovative experiential learning pedagogies; stereotypical advertising polysemy; relational supply chain management strategy relationships; project management 

Methodologies

Mixed methods approach of qualitative and quantitative research; use of partial least squares - structural equation (PLS-SEM) methodology; textual Analysis using CRAWDAD, MAXQDA analysis; and sentiment analysis 

Leadership

Director, Logistics & International Trade (LIT) Center, 2020-Present 
Current Director, AI, Social Robotics & Behavioral Research Lab, 2021-Present 
Chair, Assurance of Learning (AoL) and AACSB Assessment Committee. 2020-Present 
Leader, NSF-Funded International Study & Research Abroad Programs, 2024-2026 

Impact

Selected Publications

Arora, A. S., Arora, A., Sivakumar, K., & McIntyre, J. (2024). Managing social-educational robotics for students with autism spectrum disorder through business model canvas and customer discovery. Frontiers in Robotics and AI, 11, https://doi.org/10.3389/frobt.2024.1328467 

Arora, A. S., Arora, A., Sivakumar, K., & Taras, V. (2024). The role of anthropomorphic, x̂enocentric, intentional, and social (AX̂IS) robotics in human-robot interaction. Computers in Human Behavior: Artificial Humans, 2 (1), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbah.2023.100036. 

Arora, A. S., Arora, A., & McIntyre, J. R. (2023). Special issue: Consumer behavior on social media in the era of artificial intelligence and chatbot relationship marketing, Sustainability,  

Arora, A., Arora, A., & McIntyre, J. (2023). Developing chatbots for cyber security: Assessing threats through sentiment analysis on social media. Sustainability, 15(17), 13178. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/17/13178 

Arora, A. S., Parnell, C., &Arora, A. (2022). Applying service-dominant logic and conversation management principles to social robotics for autism spectrum disorder. International Journal of Intelligent Information Technologies, 18(1), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijiit.296240 

Arora, A. S., Jentjens, S., Arora, A., McIntyre, J. R., & Sepehri, M. (Eds.). (2022). Managing social robotics and socio-cultural business norms: Parallel worlds of emerging AI and human virtues. Springer Nature. 

Arora, A. S., Sivakumar, K., & Pavlou, P. A. (2021). Social capacitance: Leveraging absorptive capacity in the age of social media. Journal of Business Research, 124, 342-356, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.11.035 

Arora, A. S., Fleming, M., Arora, A., Taras, V., & Xu, J. (2021). Finding “H” in HRI: Examining human personality traits, robotic anthropomorphism, and robot likeability in human-robot interaction. International Journal of Intelligent Information Technologies, 17(1), 1-20. https://www.igi-global.com/article/finding-h-in-hri/272006 

(Over 65 Peer-reviewed journal publications to date) 

Selected Presentations

Arora, A. S., Arora, A., McIntyre, J., & Sepehri, M. (2024). SMARTER robots engaged in robotic interventions for students with learning disabilities. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AIM) Conference, San Francisco, California. 

Arora, A. S., & Arora, A.(2024). AI and ethical governance. Global Governance Institute, Brussels, Belgium. 

Arora, A. S., Arora, A., Sivakumar, K., & McIntyre, J. R. (2023). Robotic interventions for learning (ROB-I-LEARN): Examining social robotics for learning disabilities through business model canvas. In the Companion of the 2023 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI ’23 Companion), Stockholm, Sweden, ACM, New York, New York. https://doi.org/10.1145/3568294.3580088. 

Arora, A. S., & Arora, A. (2023). Factors impacting successful human-robot interaction, American Marketing Association (AMA) Conference, San Francisco, California.  

Arora, A. S., & Arora, A. (2022). Social robotics: emerging technology for autism spectrum disorder through the lenses of service-dominant logic and conversation management, American Marketing Association (AMA) Conference, Chicago, Illinois. 

Selected Grants

National Science Foundation. (2024). Catalyst research on broadening participation in STEM - Employing neo-constructivism transitions through educational robotics (ENTER) into STEM: Building the women STEM workforce. 

National Science Foundation. (2024). Targeted infusion project (TIP): Infusing artificial intelligence and robotics (AIR) in STEM-business programs at the University of the District of Columbia. 

National Science Foundation Award. (2021). Research initiation award: Social motivation approach for rehabilitation through educational robotics (SMARTER) research. 

Recognitions

Nominee: Best Ph.D. Thesis, Annual Global Emerald Outstanding Doctoral Research Awards in the field of Internet Technology and Marketing 

Fellow, Academy of International Business, U.S. Southeast 

Faculty Research Fellow, Georgia Tech Center for International Business Education and Research, Georgia Institute of Technology 

AACSB Innovations that Highlight Award: Social Robotics for the Good of Society, AACSB International Conference and Annual Meeting, 2023 

Outstanding Achievement Award: Technology Rising Star (Social Robotics), Women of Color (WOC) STEM DTX Conference, 2022 

Best X-Culture Instructor Award, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2016-2024 

Invited Participations

Arora, A. S., Jentjens, S., Arora, A., McIntyre, J. R., & Sepehri, M. (Eds.). (2022). Managing social robotics and socio-cultural business norms: Parallel worlds of emerging AI and human virtues. Springer Nature. 

Arora, A., (Ed.). (2020). Sustainable innovation: Trends in marketing and management (International Marketing and Management Research). Palgrave Pivot. 

Arora, A., (Ed.). (2018). Global business value innovations: Building innovation capabilities for business strategies (International Marketing and Management Research). Palgrave Pivot.