Thomas W. Gilligan

In September, 2008 Thomas W. Gilligan became the tenth dean of the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin, one of the largest and most distinguished business schools in the country. Prior to his appointment at the McCombs School of Business, Dr. Gilligan held several key administrative roles at the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California. Most notable positions include his service as interim Dean, as the Vice Dean of Undergraduate Education, as director of the Ph.D. program, and as the Chair of the Finance and Business Economics Department.

He received his B.A. in 1979 at the University of Oklahoma and his Ph.D. in Economics at Washington University in 1984. He taught Economics at the California Institute of Technology (1984-1987) and during his tenure at USC he held guest appointments at Stanford University (1989-1990 and 1994) and Northwestern University (1995-1996). Dr. Gilligan has served as a staff economist at the Council of Economic Advisers in the White House and also served in the United States Air Force from 1972 to1976. His areas of interest and expertise include microeconomics, applied price theory, industrial organization, antitrust economics and public choice. He has served as a consultant to businesses in the entertainment, agriculture, service and construction industries, dealing with antitrust and contract issues, as well as pricing strategies.

Dr. Gilligan is Coeditor for the Journal of Law, Economics and Organization, and Business and Politics. He is Associate Editor for the Asia-Pacific Journal of Accounting and Finance. His recent publications address strategic behavior in industrial markets, specialization decisions within committees, and the performance of durable goods markets. He was the recipient of a National Fellowship at the Hoover Institution of War and Peace. Dr. Gilligan holds the Centennial Chair in Business Education Leadership at the McCombs School of Business.