This year, the UD Alfred Lerner College welcomed several new faculty members into its community. Jared Sharpe is an assistant professor of management information systems; he spoke with Lerner about his research focus and how he got into this career field.
Lerner: What is your professional and academic background?
Sharpe: I earned my PhD from the Financial Services Analytics Program at UD in 2023. I earned my Bachelor’s of Actuarial Sciences in 2018 from UD as well.
Lerner: What is your research focus?
Sharpe: My research focuses on applications of analytics in several domains. I am continuing my work on IPO pricing and underpricing from my dissertation. I work closely with an industry practitioner for highway safety modeling.
Lerner: What inspired you to work in your field/research/subject area?
Sharpe: I have greatly enjoyed problem solving from an early age, with board games or puzzles. I have found the same joy in my research analyzing data from a variety of sources for modeling and prediction.
Lerner: What is it about UD that made you want to work/teach/research here?
Sharpe: I fell in love with the area early in my undergraduate career. I wanted to stay because I find that UD attracts the kind of people I like to work with.
Lerner: What course are you most excited to teach at Lerner?
Sharpe: I have had the most experience teaching the introduction to Machine Learning for Business course, but I also greatly enjoy mentoring for the Business Analytics capstone. This project-based capstone is centered around finding data-driven solutions to real business problems or research questions with real clients. The transition from the clean data of the classroom to the real world helps students develop interview-ready responses and experience working with data and managing a long-term project.
Lerner: What is something unique about you that may surprise your peers/students? (hobby, talent, experience etc.)
Sharpe: I do a lot of DIY craft and construction. I have built decks, patios, sheds, and a number of other projects. My prized creation is an upright piano that I transformed into a liquor cabinet with a functional electric keyboard.