Kwamie Dunbar Named Interim Dean of The WPI Business School
Senior Vice President and Provost Andrew Sears announced today that Kwamie Dunbar, professor of finance, has agreed to serve as interim dean for The WPI Business School, effective July 1, 2025.
Professor Dunbar’s vast industry experience, strategic insight, and collaborative leadership—as demonstrated by his work in launching WPI’s undergraduate and graduate Financial Technology programs, among other initiatives—will serve the university well during this time of transition.
Professor Dunbar joined WPI in 2022 from Simmons University’s School of Business, where he was an associate professor of finance. Previously, he served as associate dean of the Welch College of Business and Technology at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn., where he earned his MBA in economics and finance. He holds a master’s in applied mathematics from Fairfield University, also in Fairfield, and a PhD in financial economics from Fordham University in the Bronx. He received his undergraduate degree in economics from the University of the West Indies.
Professor Dunbar spent nearly a decade in industry, working with Fortune 500 companies including GE Asset Management and MasterCard Worldwide. His expertise lies in blockchain assets for social good and sustainability, empirical asset pricing, cryptocurrencies, financial technologies, and futures markets. His research has contributed to insight into digital transformation in finance and economics.
Professor Dunbar serves WPI through faculty search committees and his work on both graduate and undergraduate policy and curriculum, and he advises student projects with corporate sponsors. He also advises the WPI student investing club. He is an active scholar and has published more than 20 peer-reviewed papers and presented at more than 20 conferences in the areas of financial technology and economics. He serves as manuscript reviewer, editor or board member for more than a dozen journals, and is a member of several professional associations. He was honored in the spring with the 2025 Provost's MQP Award, and his work was included in the 2024 Trustees’ Celebration of Faculty Achievements.
A search for a permanent dean is being planned; details will be shared as they are available.
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