Meet the Eleven New Faculty Members Joining Darden in 2025-2026

Along with new students, we are welcoming an exciting group of new professors to Darden Grounds in Charlottesville and Rosslyn this year.

Eleven new and returning scholars have joined the University of Virginia Darden School of Business ahead of the 2025-26 academic year. They bring valuable knowledge in key areas such as finance, data analytics, decision sciences, strategy, entrepreneurship, communications, ethics, accounting and more.

Let’s meet them:

Shuaiyu Chen, Assistant Professor, Finance Area

Before Darden: Most recently Shuaiyu was on the business school faculty at Purdue University. He earned his PhD in finance from the University of Rochester, his MS in Applied Mathematics and Statistics from Johns Hopkins and his BS in mathematical economics from Central University of Finance and Economics, China.

Research: His research interests include empirical asset pricing, asset management, short selling and securities lending, financial news, and return predictability.

Classroom: At Darden he will be teaching in the FY finance core and an elective on Quantitative Portfolio Management.

Learn more about Shuaiyu on his personal website.

Arthur Delarue, Assistant Professor, Data Analytics and Decision Sciences Area

Before Darden: Arthur was an Assistant Professor at Georgia Tech in Industrial Engineering. He completed his PhD in operations research and his SB in physics and mathematics at MIT.

Research: His research focuses on marketplace and public sector operations.

Classroom: Arthur will be teaching in FY core decision analysis courses.

Learn more about Arthur on his personal website.

Paul Freed, Assistant Professor, Finance Area

Before Darden: He earned his PhD in finance from the University of South Carolina and his BS in economics from Gonzaga University.

Research: Paul’s research agenda focuses on household and behavioral finance.

Classroom: This year he will be teaching FY core finance.

Learn more about Paul on his personal website.

Renée Kathawalla, Assistant Professor, Leadership and Organizational Behavior Area

Before Darden: She has recently been a visiting assistant professor at Georgetown University. Renée holds a PhD from Harvard University, an MPP from Vanderbilt, and a BA from the University of Notre Dame.

Research: Renee is an expert on the unconscious dynamics and defensive behaviors that impact learning, growth and change in groups and organizations.

Classroom: At Darden Renée will be based in Rosslyn where she will be teaching negotiations in the professional format programs. She will also teach in the FY Core.

Learn more about Renée here.

Keith McCormick, Visiting Scholar, Bodily Bicentennial Professor in Analytics

At Darden: Keith is joining Darden as a visiting scholar for the 25-26 academic year, and will be in residence at Darden Grounds periodically.

Focus: He will focus his attention on writing, industry research and curriculum development. He is an expert in predictive analytics, AI and data science and is currently an independent consultant. He studied computer science at Worchester Polytechnic Institute.

Learn more about Keith on his personal website.

Anna McKean, Assistant Professor,  Strategy, Entrepreneurship, and Ethics Area

Before Darden: She has recently been a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Utah. She completed her PhD and MS in Management & Organizations and Sociology at Northwestern University, and her BS in business management from Brigham Young University.

Research: Her research interests focus on interactions between corporations, the state and stakeholders.

Classroom: Anna will be teaching the FY core strategy course and the elective Strategic Analysis and Consulting.

Learn more about Anna on her Google scholar page.

Scott Miller, Assistant Professor, Business History

At Darden: Scott has been a research assistant professor at UVA’s Miller Center. He earned his PhD at the University of Virginia, his MA from George Mason University and his BA from Vanguard University.

Research: He is an economic historian, and he examines the development of modern economic systems during periods of instability and volatility.

Classroom: Scott is transitioning to a full-time role at Darden as an Assistant Professor where he will continue to teach business history electives on financial crises.

Learn more about Scott on his personal website.

Meghan Murray, Professor of Practice, Communications Area

Before Darden: Prior to her teaching at Darden, Meghan served in executive administrative roles at UVA’s democracy focused units. Meghan earned her MBA from the University of Oxford and her BA at the University of Virginia.

Classroom: She will teach in the core Leadership Communication course for residential and executive MBAs and will also teach an elective on Telling Financial Stories.

Learn more about Meghan here.

Asa Palley, Associate Professor in the Data Analytics, Decision Sciences Area

Before Darden: Most recently he has been on the faculty at Indiana University. He completed his PhD in decision sciences from Duke University, an MS in mathematics from Carnegie Mellon University, an MS in applied mathematics and scientific computation from the University of Maryland and a BA in mathematics from Bowdoin College.

Research: His research uses tools from the fields of decision analysis, operations research, and judgment and decision making to develop prescriptive methods to help individuals and organizations make better decisions.

Classroom: Asa will be in residence at Darden starting in January 2026 when he will teach the core Data Analytics and Decision Sciences course.

Learn more about Asa on his Google Scholar page.

Rob Phillips, Professor, Strategy, Entrepreneurship, and Ethics Area

Before Darden: Most recently Rob taught business ethics at York University. He received his PhD from the University of Virginia, his MBA from the University of South Carolina, and his BSBA from Appalachian State University.

Research: His research interests include stakeholder theory, network ethics and historic corporate responsibility.

Classroom: Rob will teach in the doctoral program and the residential core ethics course.

Learn more about Rob on his Google Scholar page.

Matt Shaffer, Associate Professor, Accounting Area

Before Darden: Prior to joining Darden, Matt was on the faculty at the University of Southern California. He earned his doctorate from Harvard Business School and his BA in economics and humanities-intellectual history from Yale University.

Research: His research interests focus on valuation and corporate governance.

Classroom: At Darden he will be teaching the residential accounting course.

Learn more about Matt on his personal website.