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Prof. Dr. David Finken
Marketing & Technology
Area Of Interest
  • Experimental research using online, field, and laboratory designs
  • Technology marketing and innovation adoption
  • Behavioral responses to augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR)
  • Consumer and managerial perceptions of generative AI technologies
  • Human–robot/avatar interaction and robotic companionship
Awards
  • 2025 – Wübben Foundation Professorship (Tenure Track)
  • 2025 – Winner, Best Dissertation Award, International Trends Conference in Marketing
  • 2024 – Winner, EMAC–Enginius Best Dissertation Award
  • 2024 – Organizer, SNSF-funded Conference on Augmented and Virtual Reality
  • 2024 – Winner, Best Dissertation Award, University of Lucerne
  • 2023 – Winner, Best Presentation Award, Swiss Academy of Marketing Science
  • 2023 – Fellow, AMA–Sheth Foundation Doctoral Consortium (Oslo)
  • 2023 – Recipient, Conference Grant, Society for Consumer Psychology Annual Conference
  • 2022 – Winner, EMAC Best Doctoral Research Paper Award
  • 2021 – Winner, Consumer Behavior Research Award, American Marketing Association (AMA)
Editorship

Journal Reviewer Activity: Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Service Research, International Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Retailing

Curriculum vitae

Curriculum Vitae (in text form)

David Finken joined the TUM School of Management (Munich Campus) as Assistant Professor of Marketing & Technology in December 2025. Before that, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, where he still holds a scientific affiliation. He earned his Swiss National Science Foundation-funded PhD from the University of Lucerne in 2023. From 2020 to 2023, he led several industry-linked research initiatives on augmented reality, mobility, and insurance. Prior to his academic career, David worked as a management consultant and held roles in sales and strategy. He has also been a visiting researcher at the University of Michigan (United States) and INSEAD (France).

David’s research is inspired by real-world challenges and draws on foundational insights from (social) psychology and organizational behavior to inform how emerging technologies can create value and address societal problems. His interdisciplinary work has received several international recognitions and competitive research grants, including funding for projects and conferences on Augmented and Virtual Reality and on how Artificial Intelligence generates value in corporate contexts.

His scientific contributions on marketing and technology have been published in leading journals such as the Journal of Retailing and the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research. In addition, he has co-authored several book chapters on psychological distance and on how managers can leverage augmented and virtual reality for value creation.

David collaborates with leading scholars across Europe, the United States, and Asia, and maintains strong partnerships with industry. These collaborations enable him to remain at the forefront of understanding technological innovation and its managerial relevance.

Selected current research projects / Research Areas
  • Understanding Self-related concepts (e.g., psychological distance, psychological ownership) and Other perception processes (e.g., inference making)
  • Effects of augmented reality on product perception and consumer experience
  • Individual and team interactions in virtual reality environments
  • Self- and other-perceptions in the use of AI tools and AI-based companions

Key Publications

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