SPJIMR appoints US-based practitioner-academic and IIT Bombay alumnus Dr Varun Nagaraj as the New Dean

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s S P Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR) Mumbai has appointed Dr. Varun Nagaraj, a US-based practitioner-academic, as the new Dean of the Institute. Dr. Nagaraj is currently based in the State of California, US, and will be joining SPJIMR in September 2021. The position was vacant since April 2021 when Dean Dr Ranjan Banerjee moved to newly launched B-school BITSOM as its Founding Dean.

Dr. Nagaraj, who was selected through a global search process, holds a B. Tech in Electrical Engineering from IIT-Bombay, an MS in Computer Engineering from NC State University, an MBA from Boston University, and a PhD in Designing Sustainable Systems from Case Western Reserve University. The announcement was made by Deepak Parekh, the Chairman of the Governing Council of SPJIMR. Parekh said he was happy to announce the selection, which came after a rigorous global search process.

In his 30-years career, Dr. Nagaraj has worked to innovate and bring digital products to market and has led teams at venture-backed and public companies in Silicon Valley and Boston. Dr. Nagaraj is currently the Chief Operating Officer at Bidgely, Inc., a California-based venture funded Series-C start-up focused on AI-based, analytics software for utilities and energy retailers.

Dr. Nagaraj has an active research and teaching focus on digital strategy and transformation. He has served as Adjunct Faculty with the University of Notre Dame, Pepperdine University and Boston University, teaching in the areas of Digital Product Management, Digital Innovation and Strategy, and Product Management with Lean, Agile and System Design Thinking.

Dr. Nagaraj’s LinkedIn profile includes following academic responsibilities and achievements:

• On-line Masters course on Digital Product Management; Boston University on EdX
• Hybrid MBA course on Digital Innovation and Strategy; Pepperdine University ISTM 665
• Textbook: Digital Product Management Thinking, 2017; Available for purchase on Amazon
• PhD Thesis: Emergent learning in digital product teams, 2019; Available on Ohio LINK
• Paper: Senseshaping in high-velocity product innovation; AOM 2017 Conference
• Paper: Design Thinking and the market success of digital products; AOM 2018 Conference
• Keynote Presentation: Enabling innovation in the controls industry; The MCAA 2017 Conference

SPJIMR is ranked among the top business schools in India and is noted for pedagogic innovations and pioneering programmes. SPJIMR's mission is to 'influence practice' and 'promote value-based growth'.

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