Wagner Kamakura

Wagner Kamakura had an immense impact on so many lives, through his roles as a father, friend, professor, and mentor.

Wagner was born and raised in a small town in Brazil, where he developed a lifelong love of music and musical instruments. At an early age, he studied piano, and developed a passion for all sorts of music, ranging from the classical compositions of Johann Sebastian Bach, the contemporary Brazilian stylings of Tom Jobim, to the eclectic rock stylings of the Beatles. He also developed his talent as a performer, learning to play the trumpet and eventually becoming the youngest player in his city’s municipal band.

In high school, he and a group of friends created a rock band "Os Vibrantes" (The Vibrations) that was very successful in playing at balls and dance halls on weekends. He truly enjoyed his time with his band, and the friendships and community he cultivated with his bandmates lasted an entire lifetime.

He only left the group to attend college at the Instituto Tecnologico de Aeronautica (ITA), the most prestigious engineering school in Brazil. There, he graduated with a degree in Aeronautical Mechanical Engineering, but his love for learning and mathematics led him to continue his education at Universidade de São Paulo (USP) where he received a master degree in Production Engineering while also working a full-time job. He would later go on to receive a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Fundação Getulio Vargas in São Paulo, eventually making the transition from business into academia after he decided to pursue a PhD in Marketing in the United States, completing his PhD in just three years at the University of Texas in Austin with his thesis in 1982.

After completing his PhD, Wagner would embark on a successful career as an academician, focusing on research in Marketing. Thanks in large part to his hard work, dedication, insatiable thirst for knowledge, and the love and support of his family, Wagner was a pioneer in his field, and was offered my opportunities to work in his research from various universities, as well as consulting for several large businesses around the world. As a professor, he taught at State University of Buffalo in New York, Vanderbilt University, University of Pittsburgh, University of Iowa, Duke University, before finally enjoying a well-earned retirement as an Emeritus Professor from Rice University.

In 2011, Wagner became the first Doctor Honoris Causa in business at the University of Granada in Spain, one in a series of honorary and visiting professorships at several universities around the world, including Tilburg University in the Netherlands, Monash University in Melbourne, and the University of New South Wales in Australia. In 2019, Wagner received the Fulbright Scholarship and a visiting professorship at the university of Lisbon in Portugal, in recognition and celebration of his long and illustrious career in academia. As attested by many of his colleagues and former students, Wagner’s contribution to the field of Marketing Research was prolific and innovative, culminating in many awards for his research contributions, but most of all reflected in the storied careers and successes of his students. At the apex of his career, Wagner was ranked in the top 2 percent scientists in the world by the Stanford University ranking of scientists, for several years even in his retirement, before finally passing peacefully in his sleep, in the company of his wife and son.

He is survived by his wife Nomaiaci, his son Daniel, his brother Gilberto and sister-in-law Elizabeth, and his sister Celia, and he is dearly remembered and honored by his friends, colleagues, and students, in the United States and the world over.

In accordance with his wishes, no services or memorials will be held by the family. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in his honor to a charity of your choice.