Anne T. Coughlan holds the Polk Brothers Chair in Retailing, and is a Professor of Marketing, at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. Dr. Coughlan's main research interests are in the areas of distribution channels, sales force management and compensation, and pricing. Current research projects include optimal management of multi-level marketing distribution channels; sales force diversification and optimal group incentive payments; drivers and management of sales force turnover; measuring compliance, monitoring, and enforcement of MAP policies; and wardrobing and optimal open-box retail sales.

Her work on "Direct Selling Distributors: Why Do They Stay or Leave?" won the best doctoral-student paper award at the 2017 Global Sales Science Institute conference; it is joint research with Professor Manfred Krafft of the University of Muenster and Julian Allendorf, Ph.D. student at the University of Muenster. While visiting Muenster, Anne T. Coughlan will present some of her recent research in a brown bag seminar at the Marketing Center Muenster. She will also continue her joint research with Manfred Krafft and Julian Allendorf.