Qihui Chen (QC)

I am an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, HKUST Business School. I completed a master degree in marketing from Peking University and a PhD degree in marketing from the University of Maryland, College Park.

My research focuses on how social perception and motivation affect consumption and preferences. More specifically, my substantive research interests include parenting and education, consumer and societal well-being, and innovation in the marketplace.

My work has been published in premier marketing journals, including the Journal of Consumer Research and the Journal of Marketing. In addition, I have presented at top-tier academic conferences over the years, such as the ACR Conference and the SCP Conference, and given research talks at many top universities around the globe.

I am currently reviewing for journals, including the Journal of Marketing Research, the International Journal of Research in Marketing, the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, and the Journal of Business Research.

PUBLICATIONS

Qihui Chen, Yajin Wang, and Ying Zhang (2024), “Developing Strengths or Remedying Weaknesses? How Perceived Social Mobility Affects Parents’ Purchase Preferences for Children’s Educational Products,” Journal of Marketing, 88(5), 46-62.

Qihui Chen, Yajin Wang, and Nailya Ordabayeva (2023), “The Mate Screening Motive: How Women Use Luxury Consumption to Signal to Men,” Journal of Consumer Research, 50(2), 303-21.

SELECT WORK IN PROGRESS (* denotes equal contribution; # denotes student collaborators when the project started)

Yuechen Wu*, Qihui Chen*, Ruijuan Wang, Xiang Fang, and Junzhou Zhang, “How Maternal Role-Identity Salience Drives Mothers’ Compensatory Beauty Consumption” (R&R at JMR)

Qihui Chen, Yunhui Huang, and Max Liu, “Wellness Brand Positioning” (under review at JMR)

Qihui Chen, Yuechen Wu, Steven Shepherd, and Victor Li, “Ideological Roots of Parenting Goals” (under review at JPSP)

Qihui Chen, Yajin Wang, and Ruijuan Wang, “Kidult Consumption” (field experiment with a company in progress; preparing for JCR)

Qihui Chen and Yajin Wang, “Why Do Consumers Resist Lab-Grown Meat?” (reject and resubmit at IJRM)

Qihui Chen and Amna Kirmani, “Personal Control and Service Robots,” (preparing for JACR, Nov 2026)

HONORS, AWARDS, AND GRANTS

NSFC Funding Scheme, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Co-I, 2026-2029

Early Career Scheme, Research Grants Council (Hong Kong), 2025-2026

Dean’s Recognition of Teaching Excellence, 2025

New Faculty Start-Up Grant, HKUST, 2023

Allan N. Nash Outstanding Doctoral Student Award, University of Maryland, 2023

Jacob K. Goldhaber Travel Grant, University of Maryland, 2022

Marvin A. Jolson Outstanding Marketing Doctoral Student Award, University of Maryland, 2022

AMA-Sheth Foundation Doctoral Consortium Fellow, 2022

Haring Doctoral Symposium Fellow, 2021-2022

Best Discussant Award, Haring Doctoral Symposium, 2021

Graduate Summer Research Fellowship, University of Maryland, 2021

Doctoral Fellowship, University of Maryland, 2018-2023

Guanghua School of Management Graduate Fellowship, Peking University, 2015-2017

May Fourth Scholarship, Peking University, 2016

Excellent Graduate (Top 1%), Central University of Finance and Economics, 2015

Dean’s Award, Central University of Finance and Economics, 2013

National Scholarship, Ministry of Education of P.R. China, 2012-2013

INVITED TALKS

CEIBS, 2026
Shanghai Jiaotong University, Antai College of Economics & Management, 2026
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Marketing Camp, 2025
Hong Kong Joint School Marketing Conference, 2025
Renmin University, Renmin Business School, 2024
Peking University, Guanghua School of Management, 2024
Xiamen University, School of Management, 2024
Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Faculty of Business, 2024
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, HKUST Business School (Biz Talk Series), 2024
Peking University, National School of Development, 2023 (Online)
Pennsylvania State University, Smeal School of Business (behavioral lab), 2021, 2022
Texas Christian University, Neeley School of Business, 2022
Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management, 2022
Rutgers University (Newark and New Brunswick), Rutgers Business School, 2022
University of Florida, Warrington College of Business, 2022
Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, 2022 (Online)
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, HKUST Business School, 2022 (Online)
Hong Kong Baptist University, School of Business, 2022 (Online)
The Chinese University of Hong Kong, CUHK Business School, 2022 (Online)
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (SZ), School of Management and Economics, 2022 (Online)

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

Qihui Chen, Yuechen Wu, Steven Shepherd, and Victor Li (2026), "Political Ideology and Educational Purchases," Society for Consumer Psychology Conference (special session), San Diego, US.
Qihui Chen, Yuechen Wu, and Steven Shepherd (2025), "Political Ideology and Educational Purchases," Association for Consumer Research North American Conference (special session), Washington DC, US.
Qihui Chen, Lei Su, and Amna Kirmani (2025), "Perceived Social Mobility and Charitable Donations," Association for Consumer Research North American Conference (special session, co-organizer with Lei Su), Washington DC, US.
Qihui Chen and Yuechen Wu (2025), "Political Ideology and Educational Purchases," EMAC Conference, Madrid, Spain.
Qihui Chen and Yajin Wang (2024), “Why Do Consumers Resist Lab-Grown Meat?” Society for Consumer Psychology Boutique Conference, Leeds, UK.
Qihui Chen and Yajin Wang (2023), “How Do Consumers React to Lab-Grown Meat,” Association for Consumer Research North American Conference (special session, co-organizer with Edward Lai), Seattle, US.
Qihui Chen and Amna Kirmani (2023), “Robots as Safety Nets: Experiencing Low Personal Control Increases Consumer Preference for Service Robots,” Society for Consumer Psychology Conference (special session), Porto Rico, US.
Qihui Chen, Yajin Wang, and Nailya Ordabayeva (2023), “The Dark Side of Women’s Luxury Consumption in Romantic Encounters,” Society for Consumer Psychology Conference (special session), Porto Rico, US.
Qihui Chen and Yajin Wang (2022), “Why Do Consumers Resist Lab-Grown Meat?” Marketing Area Research Conference (poster session), University of Virginia, US.
Qihui Chen, Yajin Wang, and Nailya Ordabayeva (2022), “I Wear Prada, I Am Picky: Role of Luxury Consumption in Women’s Mate Screening Pursuits,” Society for Consumer Psychology Boutique Conference, Honolulu, US.
Qihui Chen and Amna Kirmani (2022), “Robots as Safety Nets: How Low Personal Control Increases Consumer Preference for Service Robots,” Haring Doctoral Symposium, Indianapolis, US.
Qihui Chen, Yajin Wang, and Ying Zhang (2020), “How Perceived Social Mobility Influences Parents’ Preference for Children’s Educational Products: The Role of Status Goal,” Society for Consumer Psychology Conference (poster session), Long Beach, US.
Qihui Chen, Yajin Wang, and Ying Zhang (2019), “How Perceived Social Mobility Influences Parents’ Preference for Children’s Educational Products: The Role of Status Goal,” Association for Consumer Research North American Conference (poster session), Atlanta, US.
Qihui Chen, Yajin Wang, and Ying Zhang (2019), “How Perceived Social Mobility Influences Parents’ Preference for Children’s Educational Products: The Role of Status Goal,” Marketing Area Research Conference (poster session), Georgetown University, US.
Yajin Wang and Qihui Chen (2018), “Out of Your League: Women’s Luxury Products as Signals to Men,” Association for Consumer Research North American Conference (special session), Dallas, US.
Yajin Wang and Qihui Chen (2018), “Fendi Handbags Fend off Undesirable Men: Women’s Conspicuous Consumption as a Strategy for Mate Selection,” Society for Consumer Psychology Conference (special session), Dallas, US.
Qihui Chen and Jingjing Ma (2018), “When a Minor Problem Causes a Major Trouble for Experiential Purchase,” Society for Consumer Psychology Conference (special session), Dallas, US.
Qihui Chen and Jingjing Ma (2017), “When a Minor Problem Causes a Major Trouble for Experiential Purchase,” Association for Consumer Research North American Conference (poster session), San Diego, US.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Instructor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
- Brand Management (undergraduate elective course), 2023-present

Instructor at the University of Maryland
- Marketing Research Methods (undergraduate core course), 2022, 2023

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