"We Are GSM" Video - Meet Assistant Professor Pantelis Loupos

Tracking the Flow of Money with Venmo and Fintech Tools

My research looks at how money travels between people, especially when they use modern fintech tools like Venmo and other cryptocurrency tokens. I try to see what kind of patterns emerge when people send money to each other and what those patterns can actually tell us about consumer behavior, business opportunities, and trust and risk-case use that might arise in mediums like that.

The people who engage in illicit activities have very different network characteristics from normal users. The main message of the paper is that we can actually use network analytics tools to flag those illicit users, and offer companies a way to monitor the customer behavior. Also, it offers implications for policymakers on how we can actually regulate those services.

Using Data and MSBA Talent to Analyze Movie Reviews

The proudest moment about my research here was when I published a paper with three MSBA students. We actually investigated movie reviews by critics. And we found out that there is a portion of critics that whatever they say, the opposite is going to happen.

For example, they say the movie is going to be fantastic, and the movie turns out to be a flop. So we can actually use those critics to predict the success or not of a movie before it gets to the wider audience. It also signals the strength of our MSBA students and the fact that they're very well-equipped to do research and actually publish this research to top-tier journals.

Pursuing a Degree in Analytics: Why Now is the Right Time

I am teaching Big Data Analytics in our MSBA program in San Francisco. I'm also teaching Customer Analytics in our MBA program. What I really like is that it's not the same course every year, but it's evolving in character and nature. The way that I bring my research into the class is actually a funny way. Once I publish a paper, I'm creating a mini version with the same data set and I actually put it as a homework assignment to the students.

The first piece of advice is that it's now a good time to actually pursue such a degree. We as professors strive to teach them the fundamentals. What I actually advise them is to try and improve every day, even a small percentage. It will make a big difference in the long run. It's up to them to take it from there.

The UC Davis Equestrian Center: A Hidden Gem on Campus

I fell in love with horses. They're just majestic animals. This was when I started horse riding at UC Davis at the Equestrian Center. I think the breadth of things that the UC Davis campus offers you to do to faculty, students, and whoever else works on this campus is just extraordinary.

We Are GSM.