Faculty + Research
Leading business innovation through research
As a top-tier business school, The Belk College of Business is locally focused and globally relevant. Our practical, use-inspired research and development of talent inspire innovation, stimulate economic growth and shape organizational practices and performance.
We are deeply connected to the Charlotte region, where we work and live. Our remarkable faculty — leaders in their fields — play a significant role in ensuring the Charlotte region’s vitality. Through partnerships, collaboration and consulting, we work closely with businesses and other organizations to address complex challenges and seize new opportunities.
Our research doesn’t just stay isolated in the academic space — it informs decision-makers, influences policy and creates tangible outcomes. From advancing industry best practices to informing global trends, the impact of Belk College research is far-reaching.
Faculty SpotlightS
Dongsong Zhang
As a data scientist, Dongsong Zhang, the Belk Distinguished Professor in Business Analytics, studies social computing, health information technology, mobile human-computer interaction, business intelligence, and online deception and misinformation detection.
Justin Webb
Justin W. Webb, a business innovation researcher, explores the contextual and individual influences on the entrepreneurship process, market-based solutions to poverty in base-of-the-pyramid markets, entrepreneurship within the informal economy, and family firm dynamics.
Lina Zhou
Lina Zhou uses Artificial Intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies to augment human intelligence and information literacy, drive business innovation, advance public health initiatives, protect sensitive data and mitigate risks for both individuals and organizations.
Glenn Dutcher
Glenn Dutcher works in applied game theory and behavioral economics, with implications for personnel economics, creativity and innovation, and health economics. His most recent line of research uses economic reasoning to explore issues around chronic kidney disease.
George C. Banks
George C. Banks is an expert in the field of leadership science and the co-director of the Center for Leadership Science. He was recently appointed as co-director of the Charlotte AI Institute. Since 2019, he has received over $1.7M in external grant funding.
Chandler Lutz
Chandler Lutz, the Steven Ott Distinguished Scholar in Real Estate, studies housing markets, labor economics and monetary policy, using econometric, statistical and machine learning methods. He also is a research fellow at the UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate.
Franz Kellermanns
Franz W. Kellermanns is a world leader in family business research, first in the U.S. in several rankings and the the 2025 recipient of the First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal. His research interests include international business, strategy process and entrepreneurship.
David Mauer
David C. Mauer researches corporate finance, including the intersection with investment and financing decisions, and looking at how companies make decisions about capital structure, debt priority, and investment timing and the effects of managerial compensation on firm value.
Areas of Expertise
Data Analytics, Business Intelligence and AI
We leverage research to uncover insights that shape strategic business decisions, including in leadership, fintech, healthtech, consumer behavior, digital and retail marketing, and social media and online misinformation.
In the News
Economic Development and Analysis
Belk College researchers consider an array of issues that impact people and organizations, including health and education economics, economic forecasting, productivity, the economics of sports and other topics.
In the News
Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Faculty are investigating the factors that drive business growth and entrepreneurial success, including among entrepreneurs in Charlotte and among family businesses worldwide.
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Finance, Wealth Management and Risk
We pioneer research and practical applications in the areas of finance, risk assessment and wealth management. Key areas include financial services issues, strategic financial decision-making and auditing and reporting, commercial and residential real estate and their linkages to economic growth, as well as insurance and risk management.
In the News
Organizational Performance through Science
Our faculty are experts in areas that impact the ability of organizations — and the leaders and employees who are part of them — to adapt and thrive. Researchers publish data-driven studies and build practical strategies through leadership science, organizational science, ethical leadership and other areas of significance.
In the News
Real Estate
Through community-centric real estate research, Belk College faculty provide useful, actionable findings for leaders in housing, real estate development, financial markets, economic development and policy, among others. Their work guides decisions for urban development, land use, investment and capital market issues; and fosters innovative real estate theory, policy and practice.
In the News
Supply Chain and Logistics
Research relates to managing disruption, e-commerce and supply chain and emerging technologies, all of which affect the ability of industry to efficiently make and distribute products and information.
Research centers of excellence
Our dedicated centers provide resources and platforms for interdisciplinary collaboration among faculty, researchers from other institutions, students and the community. By addressing critical business challenges and exploring emerging trends, these centers extend knowledge and develop practical solutions that drive economic growth and societal progress.
Childress Klein Center for Real Estate
The Childress Klein Center for Real Estate at UNC Charlotte was established in 2005 to further the knowledge of real estate, public policy and urban economics in the professional community through teaching, research and community outreach activities. The center administers the M.S. in Real Estate program, the real estate MBA concentration and certificate programs in real estate, finance and development.
Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
To support the growing entrepreneurial ecosystem on campus and in the Charlotte region, UNC Charlotte aligned its educational and outreach efforts with the creation of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI) in 2022. CEI works with students, faculty and community innovators through a variety of programs aimed at commercializing their research, elevating their ideas and incorporating entrepreneurial thinking into the campus academic experience.
CO-LAB at UNC Charlotte Center City – part of CEI – is an innovation and entrepreneurship hub that cultivates collaboration, creativity and technological advancement. Serving as an academic and research center for the city’s North Tryon Tech Hub, CO-LAB incubates entrepreneurs and small businesses and drives economic growth. In CO-LAB’s dynamic space, entrepreneurs and industry professionals come together with Charlotte faculty and students to address real-world challenges through practical, use-inspired solutions.
Center for Leadership Science
The Center for Leadership Science (CLS) takes an interdisciplinary approach to researching and teaching leadership, and addresses the barriers and challenges that emerging leaders face in rising to leadership positions. Their strategic priority is to fundamentally redefine leadership and, in turn, its application across countless leader development and training programs in business and society. CLS houses and disseminates leadership research, teaching and impact to the Charlotte community via undergraduate, graduate and community outreach.
