Debika Sihi is a Professor of Business at Southwestern University. She earned her PhD in Marketing at the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas (UT) at Austin. She also holds a BBA and MPA (Masters in Professional Accounting) from the McCombs School. Prior to entering the doctoral program, Debika worked at Public Strategies, Inc. and Deloitte, both multinational professional services and consulting firms.

Debika’s research explores the impact of technological innovations on marketing strategy and how online channels amplify social and brand trends.  She has published works in peer reviewed marketing and business journals including the Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, and the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. Debika teaches a variety of business courses including classes on digital marketing and a capstone course with a focus on innovation in business.

Debika actively participates with different initiatives in Austin’s vibrant entrepreneurship community. She is also an avid supporter of Emancipet, an animal welfare organization.

Honors & Awards

• Lucy King Brown Chair in Social Sciences (Appointed in 2025)
• 2025-2026 Student Organization Advisor of the Year Award (Pirate Buddies)
• 2023-2024 Student Organization Advisor of the Year Award (SU Business Club)
• John Shearn Chair in Business Administration (2016-2025)
• Stukent 2022 Professor of the Year
• 2022 Southwestern University Teaching Award
• Marketing Management Association Board Member, 2025-2028
• Journal of Business Research, Editorial Review Board Member-Big Data and Business Analytics Track
• Marketing Education Review, Editorial Review Board Member
• Journal of Applied Marketing Theory, Editorial Review Board Member
• 2018 Southwestern University Excellence in Scholarly and Creative Works Award
• 2016-2017 Southwestern University Excellence in Advising Award
• 2016-2017 Community Engaged Learning Fellow
• 2015 William R. Davidson Award runner up-Journal of Retailing
• 2014 Southwestern University Teaching Award
• Guest Post, Creating community through UGC (User Generated Content) during COVID-19
• Featured in 15 Rock Star Digital Marketing Professors.
• Featured in Understand your Consumer

Sihi, D. (2026). Advertising and Connected Experiences Through Smart Home Devices. In AI, Virtualization, and the Future of Marketing (pp. 101-134). IGI Global Scientific Publishing.

Sihi, D., & Ryan, A. (2025). Crafting and Evaluating Generative AI Prompts: Insights from Students, Educators, and Marketers. Marketing Education Review, 35(2), 153-159.

Sihi, D. (2024, June). Sustainability and Marketing: Examining the Digital Impacts. In Digital Marketing & eCommerce (pp. 111-116). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.

Sihi, D. (2022). Dare to Share? The Impacts of Health Crisis on Information Needs of Users Evaluating Peer-to-Peer Services. Marketing Management Journal. 32(1), 32-49.

Johnson, D. S., Sihi, D., & Muzellec, L. (2021, December). Implementing Big Data Analytics in Marketing Departments: Mixing Organic and Administered Approaches to Increase Data-Driven Decision Making. Informatics 8(4), 66. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute.

Sihi, D. (2020). Impacts of Blockchain Technology in Marketing. In Advances in Digital Marketing and eCommerce. 25-30. Springer, Cham.

Johnson, D.S, Muzellec, L. Sihi, D, & Zahay D. (2019). The Marketing Organization’s Journey to Become Data-Driven. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 13(2), 162-178.

Sihi, D. (2018). Home sweet virtual home: The Use of Virtual and Augmented Reality Technologies in High Involvement Purchase
Decisions. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing. 12(4), 398-417.

Sihi, D. (2018). Friending and Funding through Facebook: Social Media Use of Regional Nonprofit Organizations. Invited chapter in Innovative Perspectives on Public Administration in the Digital Age (book), IGI Global, 256-283.

Sihi, D. & Lawson K. (2018). Marketing Leaders and Social Media: Blending Personal and   Professional Identities. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 26(1-2), 38-54.

Zahay, D., Hajli, N., & Sihi, D. (2018). Managerial Perspectives on Crowdsourcing in the New Product Development Process. Industrial Marketing Management. 71, 41-53.

Chandrasekaran, D., Srinivasan, R., & Sihi, D. (2018). Effects of Offline Ad Content on Online Brand Search: Insights from Super Bowl Advertising. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 46(3), 403-430.

Sihi, D. (2017). The Influence of Leadership and Strategic Emphasis on Social Media Use of Regional Nonprofit Organizations. International Journal of Public Administration in the  Digital Age (IJPADA), 4(1), 1-18. 

Srinivasan, R., Sridhar, S., Narayanan, S., & Sihi, D. (2013). Effects of Opening and Closing Stores on Retail Firm Performance. Journal of Retailing, 89(2), 126-139.       
*Runner up for Davidson Award for best article in Volume 89 of the Journal of Retailing (awarded in February 2015)

Srinivasan, R. and Sihi, D (2012). Marketing Information Disclosures: A    Review and Research Agenda. Invited chapter in Handbook of Marketing and Finance, edited by S. Ganesan.