Chandrasekaran appointed as interim dean of Fisher College of Business

The Ohio State University has announced that Aravind Chandrasekaran (AC) will begin a two-year term as interim dean of the Max M. Fisher College of Business, effective June 1, pending approval of the university’s Board of Trustees. He also will hold the John W. Berry, Sr. Chair in Business. Chandrasekaran joined the faculty in 2009 and currently serves as the college’s senior associate dean and Fisher Distinguished Professor of Operations.

“During my first few months at Ohio State, I have heard from many of Fisher’s highly engaged faculty, staff, students, alumni, friends and industry partners about their ambition for the college and its potential for continued growth,” said Executive Vice President and Provost Ravi V. Bellamkonda. “Fisher is an already strong business college, and its upward trajectory is critical for Ohio State’s collective success and ambition for helping define the future of higher education under President Carter’s leadership. Being mindful of the high aspiration we have for Fisher and needing to move quickly, I am thrilled to have AC in place as the right leader for this moment.”

Drawing from his expertise in enhancing organizational performance, Chandrasekaran will lead efforts alongside his colleagues, industry partners, alumni and friends to lay the groundwork for this bold vision. He steps into the leadership role of one of the nation’s top public business schools that is consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report, including through its undergraduate program (ranked seventh nationally among all public universities), Full-Time MBA program (8th), Working Professional MBA (5th) and various specialty programs.

“I am deeply honored to serve as the interim dean of the Fisher College of Business,” said Chandrasekaran. “Fisher has a strong legacy of excellence, and I’m excited to work with our outstanding faculty, staff, students and alumni to build on that foundation. Our scale and volume are a source of strength, and together we will continue to march forward expanding our corporate outreach, fostering innovation and driving meaningful impact in business education and practice.”

Under Chandrasekaran’s leadership, Fisher will:

• Create an innovative undergraduate experience that builds entrepreneurial confidence and capability in Fisher’s students through experiential learning infused into the curriculum, industry connection and AI applications.
• Nurture, retain and hire thought leaders and industry luminaries to be on our faculty at Fisher.
• Enhance and deepen connections with industry — ensuring Fisher is a business college for businesses by sharing knowledge, expanding recruiting pipelines of well-trained undergraduate and graduate students, and providing exemplary executive education and training for working professionals.
• Envision and commence the future of the college’s physical environment to ensure it can provide the stellar learning and collaboration spaces its students, faculty, staff and partners deserve.

Chandrasekaran’s research focuses on health care operations, product and process innovation, AI and operational excellence, and organizational learning and ambidexterity. His research has been published in top operations management journals, including Management Science, Manufacturing & Service Operations Management (MSOM), Journal of Operations Management, Production and Operations Management, as well as other premier journals including Information Systems Research, Journal of General Internal Medicine, Journal of Surgical Research and Harvard Business Review.

As the college’s senior associate dean, he leads several critical areas at Fisher, including faculty life, research and non-degree executive education. He previously served as Fisher’s associate dean for graduate programs and executive education, overseeing all graduate programs including the Full-Time MBA, Working Professional MBA, Specialized Masters as well as executive master’s programs and non-degree executive education. He has developed several custom teaching and research programs for organizations such as Tata Consultancy Services, Ford Motor Company and Zimmer.

Chandrasekaran will succeed Trevor Brown, who has been serving as interim dean of Fisher over this past academic year in addition to his appointment as dean of the John Glenn College of Public Affairs.

“Please join me in welcoming AC to his new role,” Bellamkonda said. “Guided by his leadership, and with support from the Fisher and Ohio State community, the college will be poised for continued success.”