Following a national search, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) has appointed Liad Wagman, Ph.D., Dean of the Stuart School of Business at Illinois Institute of Technology, as Dean of the Lally School of Management, effective June 1, 2024. Wagman is also Professor of Economics and the John and Mae Calamos Dean Endowed Chair at the Stuart School of Business, with an affiliate professor appointment at Illinois Tech’s Lewis College of Science and Letters. 

“We are delighted that Dr. Wagman is joining us,” said Dr. Rebecca Doerge, RPI Provost. “His exemplary experience leading and transforming the Stuart School of Business at IIT will serve the Lally School well as it continues to provide a world-class education to RPI students.”

 “I am deeply honored to have been chosen to lead a community dedicated to the fusion of management, finance, analytics, and technology,” said Wagman. “Together, we will cultivate leaders and professionals who are capable of navigating the complexities of a rapidly evolving global business landscape, driven by data, innovation, and a commitment to ethical leadership and positive societal impact. I am excited about the opportunity to serve Rensselaer’s Lally School of Management and to work with Lally’s world-class team and community of faculty, staff, students, alumni, advisers, university partners, and friends to promote innovation and excellence in research and business education that best prepare students for success.”

Under Wagman’s leadership, Illinois Tech’s Stuart School of Business tripled its student body to more than 1,000 students, revamped and enhanced its messaging, underwent a successful AACSB reaccreditation review, significantly grew its industry advisory board, and launched a number of popular STEM-oriented undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs at the interface of business and technology. 

Wagman is Academic Affiliate at the International Center for Law and Economics, and was Senior Economic and Technology Advisor of the United States Federal Trade Commission’s Office of Policy Planning. At the FTC, he led a large economic study under two White House Administrations, covering over 1,000 mergers and acquisitions. 

He was a Competition Fellow at the Data Catalyst Institute, a Visiting Associate Professor of Executive Education and Managerial Economics & Decision Sciences at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, a Visiting Scholar at the Duke University Economics Department, a research fellow at Duke’s Computer Science Department and Duke’s Social Sciences Research Institute, and worked at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at the Freeman Spogli Institute at Stanford University. 

Wagman has received many awards, including Duke’s Program for Advanced Study in the Social Sciences Fellowship, Illinois Tech’s Education and Research Initiative Award, the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers Best Paper Award, and the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence Outstanding Paper Award. He has served as an expert witness and has advised both startups and large private sector firms. 

Wagman’s scholarly research is in the areas of industrial organization, technological entrepreneurship, information economics, and law and economics. His research has been published in prominent academic journals across business-relevant disciplines, including in economics, marketing, finance, and operations. 

Wagman holds two bachelor’s degrees from the University of North Carolina in computer science and mathematics, a master’s degree in computer science from Stanford, and a master’s and doctorate in economics from Duke.