A Boost for Research and Teaching: New Professors Joining WU in October

Gili Drori earned her PhD in sociology from Stanford University in 1997 and subsequently taught there for ten years. In 2011, she moved to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where she has served as a professor of sociology and anthropology and, over the past four years, as dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences. Her research examines how organizational, management, and governance models spread worldwide and are adapted to different social contexts. The main focus of her studies is the globalization of science, higher education, and innovation. As part of a dual affiliation, she will hold a part-time professorship in WU’s Department of Management. During the academic year 2026–2027, Gili Drori will also serve as advanced fellow at the Vienna Centre for Advanced Studies (ViCAS), University of Vienna.

Gideon Nave earned his PhD in computation and neural systems from the California Institute of Technology. Most recently, he was an associate professor of marketing at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. His research combines marketing and behavioral sciences with methods from neuroscience, psychology, and artificial intelligence. He investigates how biological factors, digital traces, and AI systems influence human decision-making, as well as the implications of new technologies for consumers, autonomy, and privacy. Gideon Nave is taking on a part-time professorship in the Department of Marketing as part of a dual affiliation; he will retain his position at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Isabel Ruiz obtained her PhD in economics from Western Michigan University. Most recently, she was associate professor of political economy at the University of Oxford and a fellow in economics at Harris Manchester College. Her research combines labor market and development economics with political economy. Her work focuses on how migration and displacement affect the displaced people themselves as well as host and home societies. As part of a dual affiliation, Isabel Ruiz is joining the Department of Economics at WU Vienna as a visiting professor of labor economics while retaining her affiliation with the University of Oxford.

Astrid Stadler earned her doctorate from the University of Konstanz in 1988 and completed her habilitation at the University of Freiburg in 1993. She has been a professor of civil law, civil procedure, private international law, and comparative law at the University of Konstanz since 1994. Her research focuses on civil procedure at the national, European, and international levels, as well as collective redress and the resolution of mass disputes. She joins WU as part-time professor of international civil procedure.

Caren Sureth-Sloane earned her PhD in 1999 and obtained her habilitation at Bielefeld University in 2003. She has been a professor of business administration taxation at Paderborn University since 2004; she has held a visiting professorship at WU Vienna since 2010. Her research examines how taxation, tax complexity, and regulatory uncertainty influence investment and other business decisions. Since 2026, she has also served as vice president of the German Research Foundation (DFG). Caren Sureth-Sloane will combine her professorship at Paderborn University with a part-time professorship in WU’s Department of Finance, Accounting, and Statistics.

Laurence van Lent earned his doctorate in economics from Tilburg University in 1999 and went on to spend many years teaching and conducting research there. Most recently, he served as professor of accounting and economics at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management. His research examines how political risk, climate change, epidemics, and technological change affect companies and financial markets. He uses computational text analysis to study corporate communications, and his work also focuses on incentive and performance measurement systems in organizations. Laurence van Lent takes on a part-time professorship in WU’s Department of Finance, Accounting and Statistics while continuing to serve as a professor at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management.