On Fostering Impactful Business Education and Scholarship

Professor Aravind Chandrasekaran, Dean of The Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business, discusses his views on impactful education and scholarship with Dr. Rajinder Bhandal. Aravind Chandrasekaran holds the John Berry Sr. Chair in Business. Before his appointment, AC served as senior associate dean for faculty, research and non-degree executive education ― a role in which he spearheaded innovative enhancements to Fisher’s teaching, research and outreach priorities. Prior to that position, he was the college’s associate dean for graduate programs and executive education, managing a diverse portfolio that included the Full-Time MBA, Working Professional MBA (WPMBA), Specialized Masters, Executive MBA, Master of Business in Operational Excellence (MBOE) and custom executive education offerings. He has also played a key role in developing tailored teaching and research programs for global organizations such as Tata Consultancy Services, Ford Motor Company and Zimmer. In the classroom, AC is a highly respected educator who has been recognized with multiple college honors including the WPMBA’s Outstanding Core Professor Award (2012, 2016) and the 2013 Pace Setters Award for Teaching Excellence. In 2017, he was named one of Poets&Quants’ “40 Under 40” Top Business School Professors. He was appointed the Fisher Distinguished Professor in Operations and Business Analytics in 2021. As a researcher, AC’s work explores innovation, organizational learning and knowledge creation across sectors such as high-tech R&D, manufacturing and health care delivery. His recent work focuses on the intersection of artificial intelligence, ethics and operational excellence. His academic scholarship has been featured in top journals including Management Science, Manufacturing & Service Operations Management (MSOM), Journal of Operations Management, Production and Operations Management, Information Systems Research, Journal of General Internal Medicine, Journal of Surgical Research, and Harvard Business Review. His research has earned numerous accolades, including the 2012 INFORMS-Industry Studies Best Paper Award, the 2013 Carol J. Latta Emerging Leadership Award from the Decision Sciences Institute, and Fisher’s 2015 Pace Setters Research Award. He holds a PhD in Business Administration and a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Minnesota.