IIM Bangalore welcomes 29 students to its PhD programme with 12 women in the cohort
Event included Director’s Merit List award distribution
9 June, 2025, Bengaluru: “You have made a very good decision by joining the PhD programme at IIM Bangalore. It is possible to pursue PhD in India and do outstanding work – during and subsequently. India is on a trajectory of tremendous growth and you have the potential to make a difference”, said Prof. Rishikesha T Krishnan, Director, IIM Bangalore, while welcoming students to the new batch of the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programme of the institute, earlier today. IIM Bangalore welcomed 29 students to the PhD programme this year, with 12 women in this cohort.
Impactful Research and Research Leadership
Providing valuable insights on, ‘Embarking on an Impactful Academic Career’ during his address, Prof. RT Krishnan engaged the new cohort in a short quiz highlighting the work of those who have carved a niche for themselves due to their expertise in academia, industry and innovation, after completing PhD in India. “There are lots of interesting phenomena going on in India, a country attracting a lot of attention from people from across the world. So, it is a good time for you to be PhD scholars in India – seize the opportunity and make it work for you.” He went on to cite examples of scholarly achievements of IIMB alumni form the doctoral programme and added, “Like them, you try to publish even while pursuing the programme here. And remember, productive researchers collaborate and work with other scholars. Build a good pipeline which will result in more collaborations and productivity.”
He had a few words of advice for the new cohort to make their research impactful. “Benchmark against the best, build familiarity with a wide variety of research methods and embrace contemporary approaches. For your research seek interesting problems, and embrace rigor, relevance and conceptual contributions. Build a strong research community and network, as well as your personal brand as an expert.”
Pointing out that it was extremely important to be an engaged scholar, he listed rigor, insight and relevance as the essential criteria for engaged scholarship.
“In the last few years, IIMB’s PhD has been rated as one of the best in the country. As participants of our doctoral programme, your responsibility includes keeping the flag of IIMB flying high. So - work hard, and the outcome will be favorable.”
During an interaction following his speech, Prof. RT Krishnan advised the students against plagiarism, and to focus on articulation, academic communication and time management.
Feedback for corrective action
Earlier in the event, Prof. Kanchan Mukherjee, Chairperson, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), and faculty in the Organizational Behavior & Human Resources Management area, welcomed the new cohort and invited them to introduce themselves sharing their background, their areas, research interest, etc. He also advised the new batch to not be too sensitive to criticism when it came to papers authored by them, adding, “Feedback should be used for corrective action. Remember, criticism makes the standard of work go up.”
Purpose, passion and perseverance
Prof. Sourav Mukherji, Dean, Alumni Relations & Development and faculty in the Organizational Behavior & Human Resources Management area, also addressed the new batch. “The PhD at IIMB is counted as the topmost in the country today. It will equip you with all the research perspectives and tools that you need, to be able to write papers which will be published in scholarly journals.”
“I would like you all to focus on two things. First, unlike other programmes, being a PhD student may make you feel lonely at times, since you will mostly be on your own. Hence, it will become immensely important to inspire yourselves, and one of the critical ingredients of that inspiration will be the very purpose of your joining the PhD programme at IIMB – it is about the changes you want to bring by creating impact. If you are purposeful, you can bring your passion and perseverance into the journey.”
“Second, all of you are grooming yourselves to evolve into teachers, that too of MBA students and industry experts. So, you need to go deep into your areas of study. Remember that the breadth of your knowledge needs to be extensive and diverse.”
Batch Profile
The new PhD cohort is a diverse one, with the highest number of candidates opting for Strategy, Finance & Accounting (F&A) and Production & Operations Management (POM) areas (four students in each area). In Bachelor’s Degree, most of the students have degrees in Bachelor of Technology (14), followed by Bachelor of Arts (five). Out of the 22 students with a Master’s Degree, Master of Arts and Master of Business Administration (seven each) have the highest count, followed by Master of Science (five).
Director’s Merit List Awards
The event also included felicitation of Director’s Merit List (DML) students. Mauli Kundlia of the OBHRM area from the 2023 batch, and Teena Maria Jose of the Economics area from the 2024 batch, are the DML award winners.
Click here for photo gallery
IIM Bangalore welcomes 29 students to its PhD programme with 12 women in the cohort
Event included Director’s Merit List award distribution
9 June, 2025, Bengaluru: “You have made a very good decision by joining the PhD programme at IIM Bangalore. It is possible to pursue PhD in India and do outstanding work – during and subsequently. India is on a trajectory of tremendous growth and you have the potential to make a difference”, said Prof. Rishikesha T Krishnan, Director, IIM Bangalore, while welcoming students to the new batch of the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programme of the institute, earlier today. IIM Bangalore welcomed 29 students to the PhD programme this year, with 12 women in this cohort.
Impactful Research and Research Leadership
Providing valuable insights on, ‘Embarking on an Impactful Academic Career’ during his address, Prof. RT Krishnan engaged the new cohort in a short quiz highlighting the work of those who have carved a niche for themselves due to their expertise in academia, industry and innovation, after completing PhD in India. “There are lots of interesting phenomena going on in India, a country attracting a lot of attention from people from across the world. So, it is a good time for you to be PhD scholars in India – seize the opportunity and make it work for you.” He went on to cite examples of scholarly achievements of IIMB alumni form the doctoral programme and added, “Like them, you try to publish even while pursuing the programme here. And remember, productive researchers collaborate and work with other scholars. Build a good pipeline which will result in more collaborations and productivity.”
He had a few words of advice for the new cohort to make their research impactful. “Benchmark against the best, build familiarity with a wide variety of research methods and embrace contemporary approaches. For your research seek interesting problems, and embrace rigor, relevance and conceptual contributions. Build a strong research community and network, as well as your personal brand as an expert.”
Pointing out that it was extremely important to be an engaged scholar, he listed rigor, insight and relevance as the essential criteria for engaged scholarship.
“In the last few years, IIMB’s PhD has been rated as one of the best in the country. As participants of our doctoral programme, your responsibility includes keeping the flag of IIMB flying high. So - work hard, and the outcome will be favorable.”
During an interaction following his speech, Prof. RT Krishnan advised the students against plagiarism, and to focus on articulation, academic communication and time management.
Feedback for corrective action
Earlier in the event, Prof. Kanchan Mukherjee, Chairperson, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), and faculty in the Organizational Behavior & Human Resources Management area, welcomed the new cohort and invited them to introduce themselves sharing their background, their areas, research interest, etc. He also advised the new batch to not be too sensitive to criticism when it came to papers authored by them, adding, “Feedback should be used for corrective action. Remember, criticism makes the standard of work go up.”
Purpose, passion and perseverance
Prof. Sourav Mukherji, Dean, Alumni Relations & Development and faculty in the Organizational Behavior & Human Resources Management area, also addressed the new batch. “The PhD at IIMB is counted as the topmost in the country today. It will equip you with all the research perspectives and tools that you need, to be able to write papers which will be published in scholarly journals.”
“I would like you all to focus on two things. First, unlike other programmes, being a PhD student may make you feel lonely at times, since you will mostly be on your own. Hence, it will become immensely important to inspire yourselves, and one of the critical ingredients of that inspiration will be the very purpose of your joining the PhD programme at IIMB – it is about the changes you want to bring by creating impact. If you are purposeful, you can bring your passion and perseverance into the journey.”
“Second, all of you are grooming yourselves to evolve into teachers, that too of MBA students and industry experts. So, you need to go deep into your areas of study. Remember that the breadth of your knowledge needs to be extensive and diverse.”
Batch Profile
The new PhD cohort is a diverse one, with the highest number of candidates opting for Strategy, Finance & Accounting (F&A) and Production & Operations Management (POM) areas (four students in each area). In Bachelor’s Degree, most of the students have degrees in Bachelor of Technology (14), followed by Bachelor of Arts (five). Out of the 22 students with a Master’s Degree, Master of Arts and Master of Business Administration (seven each) have the highest count, followed by Master of Science (five).
Director’s Merit List Awards
The event also included felicitation of Director’s Merit List (DML) students. Mauli Kundlia of the OBHRM area from the 2023 batch, and Teena Maria Jose of the Economics area from the 2024 batch, are the DML award winners.
Click here for photo gallery