8th cohort of NSR Pre-doc successfully concludes one-year fellowship at IIM Bangalore

Bengaluru, April 28, 2026: The eighth cohort of the N.S. Ramaswamy Pre-doctoral Fellowship (NSR Pre-doc) completed their one-year apprenticeship and received their certificates on 27 April. The 2025-26 batch comprised twelve fellows, with ten women and two male participants working across eight areas of specialization. 
Since its inception in 2018, 77 fellows have graduated, with over 50 progressing to doctoral programmes in India and abroad. This year’s cohort showcased students from diverse areas of specialization, including Finance & Accounting, Decision Sciences, Information Systems, Economics, Strategy, Marketing, OB&HRM and Public Policy. 
The NSR Pre-doc is designed to create meaningful career pathways for candidates from historically underrepresented communities in management and allied disciplines. Through a combination of methodological training, close faculty mentorship and early immersion in research, fellows are equipped not only to access PhD programmes but to pursue their research interests and contribute to the field with depth and confidence.
The stipend-supported initiative, which is a deliberate effort to build a diverse and rigorous pool of aspirants for doctoral studies, enables fellows to build long-term professional relationships with peers and professors, while also allowing the Institute to make a determined investment in the future of India’s research landscape.  

Faculty reflections 
Prof. Anil B Suraj, Chairperson, NSR Pre-doc and Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, and faculty of the Public Policy area of IIMB, congratulated the fellows on completing the requirements of a competitive programme. Calling the participants a “wonderful composition” for its interdisciplinary diversity, he noted that students of the outgoing batch had pursued master’s programmes from a variety of national and international universities and came with backgrounds in physics, computer science, social science, data science, law and more. “We now have 77 predoc fellows – with two who have already got their PhDs – one from IIT Madras and one from IIM Bangalore. Two more are soon to defend their thesis”, he said.
Prof. Mukta Kulkarni, Dean, Programmes, and faculty of Organizational Behavior & Human Resources Management at IIMB, reflected on the academic preparedness of the fellows and observed that many transitioned seamlessly into doctoral coursework and contributed meaningfully to the classroom. “I’ve had the pleasure of having Pre-doc students in my class who have then moved into my PhD class. I can attest that some of the best contributions have come from you,” she said. She also noted the programme’s expanding portfolio of success stories and expressed the hope that the fellows had a fruitful and fulfilling journey at IIM Bangalore.
Prof. Dinesh Kumar, Director-in-charge, IIMB, and faculty of the Decision Sciences area, encouraged fellows to view this transition as the beginning of a longer academic journey. He expressed the Institute’s aspiration to welcome them back as future faculty and acknowledged the role of families, faculty and mentors in supporting their progression. “As more of our Pre-doc students complete their PhDs, we can say the programme has achieved what it was designed to do”, he said, referring to its vision of enhancing social diversity and diversity of thought in management academia while providing a structured pathway into doctoral programmes.
Prof. Jitamitra Desai, Decision Sciences area, extended his congratulations to the participants on starting a research career. “I commend you for taking up research as a career. I can say with complete certainty that it is a rewarding one”, he said, adding that “knowledge creation through research” and “knowledge dissemination through teaching” are important commitments of academia. 
Prof. Ludvig Levasseur, Entrepreneurship area and member of the NSR Pre-doc faculty committee, noted that the programme continues to attract increasingly competitive cohorts and is enabling strong placements into doctoral programmes.
Prof. Tarun Jain, Chairperson, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and faculty in the Production & Operations Management area, encouraged fellows to remain adaptive as they move forward. “As you progress, keep embracing emerging technologies, but don’t use them to outsource your thinking or your research process”, he said, urging them to stay flexible towards an uncertain future and be accustomed to the volatility of the system. He also emphasized the importance of engaging with new market challenges and developing targeted, solution-oriented research as students part of a B-school.
Prof. Sourav Mukherji, Dean, Faculty, spoke of the genesis of the programme eight years ago and highlighted its long-term vision. He expressed confidence in its continued growth and its role in strengthening the pipeline of research-oriented faculty in India. “I look forward to the total number of fellows reaching 100 – and to welcoming some of you back as faculty members”, he said, adding that the country’s need for good teachers is closely tied to a strong research orientation. “It is a difficult journey, but one that is deeply rewarding”. 
Prof. Reshma Chirayil Chandrasekharan, faculty in the Decision Sciences area and member of the programme committee, noted the steady improvement in the cohort’s diversity and academic depth over the years.

Personal reflections on the NSR Pre-doc experience
At the ceremony, the outgoing batch shared their personal and academic gains from NSR Pre-doc. “I learned how to read academic literature more deeply, frame research questions, and work on conceptual writing”, said Nisha Kumari, OB&HRM area.
“The programme helped me appreciate research as a process of asking meaningful questions rather than simply seeking answers”, said Meera Remesh from the Finance & Accounting area. This experience, she added, was instrumental in strengthening her decision to now pursue a research-focused career.
Snehal Khandare, with a background in Insolvency and Bankruptcy Law, said that her interest in the question “how do you make strategy work when the rules keep changing?” led her to the programme. “I joined IIMB's NSR Pre-Doc programme in the Strategy area to move beyond legal compliance”, she said, adding that she sought to understand how firms can navigate insolvency without eroding value, and how governance, in turn, shapes strategic outcomes.
“This hands-on engagement significantly improved my technical skills and gave me a clearer understanding of the standards expected in academic research. It also helped me develop patience, attention to detail, and the ability to work through datasets and methodologies,” said Poonguzhali R P, Economics area.

Batch profile 
The 2025–26 cohort comprised twelve fellows: Anagha P, OBHRM area; Dhruv Singh, Information Systems area; Jarupula Gunavardhini, Public Policy area; Nisha Kumari, OBHRM area; Poonguzhali R P, Economics area; Sushanta Patel, Decision Sciences area; Bency Antony, Public Policy area; Snehal Khandare, Strategy area; Anslin B S Saj, Decision Sciences area; Mauzmi Nazar, Marketing area; Jaideep Barman, Information Systems area; and Meera Remesh, Finance & Accounting area. 
Many have presented research at prestigious national and international conferences, with several of these works already leading to academic publications. The programme’s success is also reflected in the doctoral programmes of choice secured by the fellows at leading national and global institutes.
The ceremony came to a close with the distribution of certificates, which marked the culmination of the cohort’s engagement with the programme and the beginning of their transition into doctoral study.