2017 Best 40 Under 40 Professors: Aravind Chandrasekaran, Ohio State (Fisher)

Aravind Chandrasekaran

Associate Professor of Operations

Ohio State University, Fisher College of Business

Talk about real world impact! Recent work by Ohio State’s Aravind Chandrasekaran, in collaboration with over 40 healthcare providers, involved radically redesigning the discharge process for transplant recipients at a large medical center. The multi-year project resulted in a significant reduction in patient readmissions, lower costs, improved patient perception of the quality of care, and empowerment of frontline care providers. Currently, Chandrasekaran  is part of a team working with The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s kidney transplant group to improve patient outcomes.

Professor Chandrasekaran applies his research to real-life situations. One of his signature papers was published in Manufacturing and Service Operations Management and won an industry award for best applied research. In addition, he is possibly the youngest person in the world to publish a paper in an elite set of four operations management journals generally considered to be the “best” in academic research.

His research has won several awards including the 2012 INFORMS-Industry Studies Best Paper Award, 2013 Carol J. Latta Emerging Leadership Award for Outstanding Early Career Scholar by the Decision Sciences Institute, and the 2015 Pace Setters Award for Research. But he’s not a one trick research pony. He’s also won several teaching awards including the 2016 & 2012 Best Outstanding Core Professor Award (WPMBA), as well as the 2013 Pace Setter Award for Teaching Excellence.

Age: 35

At current institution since: 2009

Education: PhD, Operations Management, University of Minnesota, 2009

List of courses you currently teach: MBA Core Operations Management, Product and Process Innovation (MBA Elective), MBOE (Master of Business in Operational Excellence), PhD course on innovation  

What are you currently researching and what is the most significant discovery you’ve made from it?I am currently researching process inefficiencies during health care delivery. What we’re attempting to do is to create a process to capture patient and care provider’s voices in the design of health care systems. This process can help reduce patient readmissions, save costs and sustain process changes over time.  

Professor you most admire: Professor Kevin Linderman (University of Minnesota) was my thesis advisor and taught me everything I know. Professor Andrew Van de Ven (University of Minnesota) is an organizational theorist who taught me about the art of engaged scholarship (connecting research with practice).  

“I knew I wanted to be a B-school professor when…I was taking business school classes during my Master’s program. I loved the way my professors facilitated discussion in these classes.”

“If I weren’t a B-school professor…I would have played cricket in minor professional leagues (I played state level tournaments in college).”

One word that describes my first time teaching an MBA class: Excitement  

Most memorable moment in the classroom, or in general, as a professor: There are several moments — every year I love listening to the capstone projects reporting by my students. It is quite a fulfilling experience to see all their hard work come to fruition.     

What professional achievement are you most proud of? Mentoring my first two doctoral students and seeing them land successful faculty positions at Tulane and South Carolina.

What do you enjoy most about being a business school professor?  As a researcher, I get to learn continuously by working very closely with several managers and health care professionals. As a professor, I love having the opportunity to bring these lessons immediately back to classrooms (publishing them often takes some time!). Lately I have taken up blogging about my research, which is a difficult skill, but very exciting!

What do you enjoy least about being a business school professor?  Administrative meetings

Fun fact about yourself: I have watched all 180 episodes of Seinfeld multiple times and can easily recite dialogue from any episode.

Bucket list item #1: Watch a cricket test match in Melbourne, Australia on Boxing Day (Dec 26th). There is something about watching cricket after the holidays!  

Favorite book(s):  Built to Last, Checklist Manifesto, Malgudi Omnibus

Favorite movie: Raiders of the Lost Ark; Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (I am Big Indiana Jones fan!)

Favorite type of music: Classic Rock and Indian Classical

Favorite television show: Seinfeld, Elementary, The West Wing, Newsroom

Favorite vacation spot: Barcelona and London

What are your hobbies? I like to experiment with cooking (failing is still learning).

Twitter handle: @Professor_AC

“If I had my way, the business school of the future would have…flat classrooms to facilitate interactions and blackboards (there is something timeless about writing with chalk).”

Administrators say:

“Professor Aravind Chandrasekaran is what a football coach might call a triple threat. He is a world-class researcher on how organizations can best manage product and process improvement and the operations of delivering safer, efficient health care. One of his signature papers was published in Manufacturing and Service Operations Management and won the Industries Studies Association Award for best applied research. In addition, he is possibly the youngest person in the world to publish a paper in an elite set of four operations management journals generally considered to be the “best” in academic research.

Aravind applies his research to real-life situations. Currently he is part of a team working with The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s kidney transplant group to improve patient outcomes.

Aravind has won multiple awards for his teaching in the college’s MBA core courses. His students praise him for his passion for education and his expertise.”

DON’T MISS: THE FULL 2017 ROSTER OF THE WORLD’S 40 MOST OUTSTANDING BUSINESS SCHOOL PROFESSORS UNDER 40