I am an Assistant Professor in Marketing at Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham. I was a Visiting Scholar at SCANCOR, Stanford University (December 2025 – March 2026).
I received my PhD in Marketing from Aalto University School of Business (Finland) in 2025. During my doctoral studies, I held visiting positions at Virginia Tech (USA) and City University of Hong Kong.
Research Interests
My research examines consumer and societal well-being at the intersection of technology, healthcare, and services. I pursue three interconnected streams:
- Technology and AI in Service Encounters: AI-mediated service interactions, service robots, algorithmic recommendation, AI disclosure, and digital health platforms
- Healthcare Delivery, Adherence, and Well-being: Patient adherence, health engagement, elderly psychology, self-care, and health-related stigma
- Service Design and Societal Well-being: Brand–consumer relationships, prosocial and donation behavior, sustainable consumption, and design cues in consumer experience
I employ diverse methodologies including laboratory and field experiments, econometric modeling (DiD, causal ML), meta-analysis, and text mining.
Teaching
At Birmingham, I teach Marketing and New Technology (Undergraduate) and Individual Consulting Project (Postgraduate). My teaching philosophy centres on creating value beyond knowledge transfer—helping students build social connections, develop critical thinking, and gain hands-on experience applying marketing to real-world problems.
Contact
- Email: j.liao@bham.ac.uk
- Office: Birmingham Business School, University House, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT
- Google Scholar: Profile
Outside research, I enjoy hiking, cycling, folk songs, and cooking Sichuan cuisine.