Lippman

Hello everyone, I've been reading this forum with a strong interest, finally I found a place where people are talking about something they really (seem to, at least) know. Anyway at the moment I'm wondering if I could get enrolled in a PhD program in business/management. My profile: 25 yo, living in Paris, France. At the moment I've been working for about a year as a research engineer for a digital/embedded imaging company. It's a medium size business but they are recognized worlwide (I've been working on the Apple Iphone's camera for example). I graduated in 2012 with a master's degree obtained with the highest distinction possible, from a very selective graduate school (enrollment of 50 students per year based on an entry exam). This school is really special because you kind of "choose your path" during the time you spend in, some of my former classmates are now specialized in arts, and I chose sciences optionnal courses in order to write my master's thesis about an engineering subject. This school's program lasts 3 years by the way. Before that I studied mathematics and economics at the university and got a 2-year diploma (I believe there isn't any equivalent to that in the US system). I got quantitative skills from this time so this explains how I've been able to pursue the "science path" during my master's degree. I attempted the GMAT a few times and at the moment I've got a 740/800 score in August, and a 110 TOEFL. I don't really want to attempt the GMAT again actually, not sure I can do better. I can have two letters of recommendation; one from my master's thesis tutor, professor of optics at my school, and the other one from my supervisor at my company. I think I've told you almost everything. "Why a Phd in business then?" will you ask me; well my job doesn't fit me actually, I really enjoyed doing research during the writing of my thesis but the daily-job as an engineer is kind of boring to me. So I really like both doing research, you know learning new things frequently, and teaching (had a little experience as a tutor in Economics when I was a second year student at the university). So I believe a career in academia could be the right fit. Also I really would like to leave France and study/work abroad, experience a new culture an so on. So here come my interrogations: -Should I better apply to a finance PhD than any other field (in relation with my quantitative skills)? I know this could seem foggy but I don't really mind choosing between finance, strategy, and operation management (the three fields that interest me). -Which schools should I aim to? I'm not a fond of top schools like Harvard or Wharton, even though I wouldn't refuse it, but I'm more interested in schools like Rotman (Canada), Warwick (UK), Marshall (South California), or even Simon (Rochester). Well I think that's all for now, but don't hesitate to ask if you have any question though. Thanks!