This year, the UD Alfred Lerner College welcomed several new faculty members into its community. Melissa Crumling is a visiting instructor of finance; she spoke with Lerner about her research focus and what inspired her to work in her field.
Lerner: What is your professional and academic background?
Crumling: I am currently pursuing my Ph.D. (ABD) in business administration (finance concentration) from Drexel University and hold a B.S.B.A. in finance from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania and M.S.F. from Villanova University.
Lerner: What is your research focus?
Crumling: My research interests lie broadly in empirical corporate finance with an emphasis entrepreneurial finance, financial technologies and innovation. In my current research projects, I study how venture capitalists use advanced data technologies to lower search frictions for finding investment opportunities.
Lerner: What inspired you to work in your field/research/subject area?
Crumling: In recent years, the use of transformative technology by firms, financial markets, and researchers has increased significantly. While these technologies provide firms and investors with tools to enhance efficiency and improve decision-making, they also raise important questions about their broader impact on markets and innovation. My research focuses on two key mechanisms through which technology influences financial decision-making: how data technologies shape investment strategies—determining who receives capital—and how large firms with significant market power learn from and influence these innovations. Additionally, I leverage newly available data, enabled by technological advancements, to test mechanisms that were previously difficult to measure. In future research, I aim to explore how regulators respond to these technological advancements and how their actions affect future growth and innovation.
Lerner: What is it about UD that made you want to work/teach/research here?
Crumling: I am excited about the supportive environment for both research and teaching at UD, as well as the opportunity to work alongside top finance faculty at Lerner. I am eager to contribute to the business education at UD.
Lerner: What course are you most excited to teach at Lerner?
Crumling: Introduction to Fintech. Financial technologies are reshaping markets and institutions and I am excited to share my knowledge in this highly relevant area with my students.
Lerner: What is something unique about you that may surprise your peers/students? (hobby, talent, experience etc.)
Crumling: I play the saxophone and was part of the marching band in undergrad.