Welcome.
My name is Mackenzie Volk
Ph.D. Candidate, May '26
Marketing
Darla Moore School of Business
University of South Carolina
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About Me.
I am a Ph.D. Candidate in Marketing at the University of South Carolina's (USC) Darla Moore School of Business. My research examines how identity-based signals—such as pet mindsets, gender, and accents —influence consumer decision-making, brand evaluations, and policy support. I employ a diverse range of methodologies, including experiments, field studies, secondary data analysis, and text analysis, in my research, which helps ensure that my findings are both rigorous and relevant to real-world business settings.
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My work has been recognized through several research grants and awards, including the Doctoral Fellows Award for Outstanding Academic Performance and Career Potential (2025). I was nominated to represent USC at the Haring Symposium (2025) and have been selected to present my research at top marketing conferences, including the Association for Consumer Research and the Society for Consumer Psychology.
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I received my undergraduate degrees in Marketing and Economics from the University of Kentucky. Before starting my Ph.D., I worked for several years in various aspects of marketing, including demand forecasting and production planning with Toyota, reverse logistics and Kindle operations with Amazon, and planogram and assortment strategy with Kroger.
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My industry experience has enabled me to be an effective teacher in the classroom, where I've taught Consumer Behavior and consistently earned excellent student evaluations. My students appreciate my business experience with global brands, my connections to industry leaders, and my forward-looking approach regarding the use of technology in business education.
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I am passionate about being an active member of communities I am a part of, and I currently serve as the Vice Chair of Member Engagement with AMA's Doctoral Special Interest Group (DocSIG) as well as a FirstGen mentor for AMA's First Generation student group. Prior to these appointments, I served as Chair of the Doctoral Student Association at Darla Moore School of Business, serving business Ph.D. students across the school.
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In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, walking my dogs, playing pickleball, and kayaking.
Research.
Under Review.
Rebecca Rabino, Elise Chandon Ince, Mackenzie Volk, and Debora V. Thompson, “Accent-Driven Curiosity: Ambiguous Accents Pique Consumer Curiosity,” submitted to the Journal of Consumer Psychology.
In Preparation to Submit.
Lei Jia, Xiaojing Yang, and Mackenzie Volk, “Being True to Oneself: Gender Nonconformity Signals Men’s Creative Potential,” in final preparation for submission to the Journal of Consumer Psychology.
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Mackenzie Volk, Linyun W. Yang, and Marina Puzakova, “Unraveling the Dynamics of the ‘Women-Owned’ Label,” in final preparation for submission to the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science.
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Mackenzie Volk, Lei Jia, and Xiaojing Yang, “How Pet Identity Salience Influences Conspicuous Consumption,” in preparation for submission to Journal of Marketing.
Mackenzie Volk, Lei Jia, and Xiaojing Yang, “Exposure to Cat People Increases Support for DEI Initiatives,” manuscript targeting the Journal of Marketing Research.
Yanfen (Cindy) You, Xiaojing Yang, Xiaoyan Deng, and Mackenzie Volk, “‘I Will Remember You’ or ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’?: How Linguistic Differences in Reminder Messages Affect Consumer Compliance,” in preparation for submission to the Journal of Marketing.
Teaching.
Instructor of Record
Consumer Behavior
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Spring 2024 (Student Evaluations: 4.7/5)
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Fall 2025
Professional Experience.
