Brian Murtha, professor and Carol Martin Gatton Endowed Chair in the Department of Marketing and Supply Chain in the Gatton College of Business and Economics at the University of Kentucky, is one of 16 University Research Professors for 2023-24.

The University Research Professorships honor faculty members who have demonstrated excellence that addresses scientific, social, cultural and economic challenges in our region and around the world. 

College leadership develop criteria for excellence within their area of expertise and then nominate faculty who excelled at these criteria. Each University Research Professor receives a one-year award of $10,000. 

“I’m so grateful to the University of Kentucky for providing me and my family with the opportunity to join and contribute to this wonderful place 15 years ago,” Murtha said. “My sincere thanks to Dean Simon Sheather, John Peloza (associate dean for research) and David Hardesty (my department chair) for their support, which allowed me to work toward this esteemed award.”

Murtha’s research and teaching focuses on marketing strategy and personal selling.

His work has been published in leading marketing and management journals — including Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Management Science and Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. Murtha’s research on “Marketing Doctrine” in the Journal of Marketing won the Harold H. Maynard Award. He also serves as an associate editor for the Journal of Marketing and the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science.

Additionally, Murtha spearheaded the annual Gatton College Sales Competition, which recently completed its fourth year. The competition engages the Kentucky business community and Gatton undergraduates to create opportunities for students to gain sales experience and effectively secure employment upon graduation.