Good day, Dr. Akash Verma. I'm Arjun. I've had a look through your background and your professional record. I'm interested in hearing more about your work and how you see yourself fitting in here with our faculty. Ready to start?

Please start by introducing your professional journey in academia.

My name is Akash Karma. Currently I am pursuing a post doctoral research UH in from the National Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. Currently my research focused on the crowd dynamics. I have completed my PhD from the National Institute of Technology Raipur in Queuing Inventory systems and I did my post graduation in Applied Operational Research from Delhi University and graduation in Mathematics from Periodical College.

Junior Research Fellowship in June 2019 in Mathematical Science with rank 63 and I have worked on a project sponsored by National Board for Higher Mathematics for two years. I have 5 research published papers and one is submitted. I have attended multiple conferences and workshops in conferences like Canadian Operational Research Society and. International conference on Queen theory.

Professor

And optimization, learning analytics and business, uh, like these conferences. So, uh, I want to pursue, uh, as a accurate mission and a researcher at a VID value. So yeah, thanks.

Professor Verma, thank you for sharing additional context about your academic journey and research accomplishments. Your involvement in high-caliber projects, prestigious conferences like CORS, and your publication record present a strong academic foundation. Let me confirm your expertise across specific skillsets required for this role, starting with your knowledge of Big Data Analytics. Could you explain how you would leverage Big Data in service operations to optimize decision-making processes?

Yeah. So like if we talk about from the twin theory perspective, so suppose number of arrivals in the systems, then that will provide the exact.

Solution for the systems to optimize the things so so that we can in advance the optimize the waiting space and the.

Uh, inventory size in the systems. So the data, uh, analytics will help to the, uh, to optimize all these things, uh, for the systems.

I see, Professor Verma. Could you clarify how you would handle the challenges of managing large-scale, real-time data streams in such a system? Specifically, how would you ensure the accuracy and efficiency of the analytics in decision-making?

So for large datasets, I will, uh, like, uh, validate these models, uh, with, uh, putting the some training, uh, data. And then I will test and then I will measure the accuracy and then I will sure, I will sure that the model is accurate according to our testing and training data, Then I will perform.

All these rest of the things.

Understood. Moving forward, let's discuss your expertise in text mining. Could you explain how you would apply text mining techniques to analyze unstructured data from customer feedback in service operations?

Yeah, uh.

So, yeah, yeah.

Go ahead, Professor Verma. How would you apply text mining techniques for analyzing unstructured customer feedback in service operations?

Unstructured data then we'll first we'll cluster into like similar kind of rows where the feedback is a similar kind of based on the the similarity in the feedbacks, we clusterize them and then we based on the cluster we'll work we'll we'll find out the best fit fit solutions and then we'll.

Yeah, in uh, suppose uh, we have a data of.

Work on that.

Understood. And what specific algorithms or tools would you prefer for clustering and analyzing such feedback effectively?

I would prefer to use a claim came in clustering, so.

Because it provides the similarity between the.

The data.

Got

Understood. Let’s now shift to your understanding of Service Operations Management. How would you approach designing service systems to enhance operational efficiency while maintaining high customer satisfaction?

Yeah, uh.

So, uh, in service operations management, if there are suppose we'll first prioritize the less time for the service of the customers and their like, if they are what they need from the systems. So I will also ensure that there should be a optimized all these things available into the systems. So, so that customer will.

Uh, directly, uh, get this instant grid, get the uh, uh, their.

Uh, services, uh, without any interruptions.

I see. Could you elaborate on how you would balance minimizing service time with the cost implications of maintaining operational efficiency in such systems?

So I have worked on a green inventory systems. So there we have worked on like we find out the probability distributions of that system and then we find out the cost functions for that system. So where we optimize, we were optimizing the reorder level, the waiting space and the inventory size. So ensuring all these things will like. Ensure that.

Uh, uh.

The system will work, uh, efficiently.

Interesting approach, Professor Verma. Moving forward to Sustainable Operations, can you detail how you would incorporate sustainability principles into operations management to reduce environmental impact while ensuring profitability?

Yeah, uh, in sustainable, uh, operations, we'll ensure that uh, like, uh, uh, the.

We we will do not order multiple times for the inventory because it will take.

Uh, it will take multiple rounds for a vehicle to raise their, uh, uh, warehouse and then, uh, again moving to the, uh, the company. So I will reduce the number of reordering things and also I will work on a lead times. So that will help to, to manage the, all the sustainability in the system. And I also provide the. Suitable things for their customers also.

The.

Thank you for explaining, Professor Verma. Let's turn to your teaching abilities. Can you share how you would structure and deliver a theory course in Operations Management to ensure both foundational understanding and student engagement?

Yeah, so my expertise in queen and inventory systems. So I I would like to present like simplest example of green theory and inventory how the, the, the the systems are work. So I will first find out the real world examples and with the simplest way I can explain to the students. So the students will learn more. Intuitions from these.

Basic topics and then they can advance their skills.

Clear strategy. Now, how would you evaluate the effectiveness of your teaching approach to ensure that students are grasping the material adequately?

So I would like to ask.

Few questions from the students like uh, whether uh provide some real life examples and I will provide them mini projects and how they are performing in the mini projects and quizzes. I will provide the instant quizzes and if they are performing well, then my teaching strategy is going good. So based on these evaluation steps, I will evaluate the students how they are performing.

Thank you, Professor Verma. One last area for verification—how would you guide student projects and research to ensure both academic rigor and innovation?

Right, currently I'm working on in from Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and Indian Institute of Technology Madras. So here I am learning how to involve students in a research. I'm also working with the MSA students. So I have learned how to engage the students in their research. So I will provide the. One or two in a week, 2 times.

I will take the summary of what they are doing and then I will teach them where they are struggling, so I will provide them the results for that and I will help them to find out the best results for the institute.

Understood, Professor Verma. I have gathered sufficient insight into your skills and expertise. Thank you for sharing. Let me proceed to finalize this evaluation.

Yeah, sure.

Let's begin with this: which introductory course in operations do you find most rewarding to teach, and why?

Uh, I would prefer service operations management because it is a like, uh, industry oriented topic and most relevant topic for uh, uh, like, uh, today's life. So.

See, and get me CN perspective for like I'm going to teach uh, MBA student. So for that, their target is to build up our advanced service uh.

Op op operations. So I will prefer that.

Dr. Verma, let me rephrase to ensure I understand your request. You're discussing teaching an MBA course in Operations, especially with a focus on advanced services, correct? Could you clarify if you'd like to discuss how your research expertise in Operations Research aligns with teaching such a course, or are you seeking a broader perspective on delivering the course content effectively?

Yeah, my expertise on green inventory systems. So I have done on multiple research papers on service operations where we are optimizing the things. So I I have also attended multiple courses on optimization. So these expertise are well suited for these students so.

Allow me to teach, uh, them.

Understood, Dr. Verma. Since your research expertise is in green inventory systems and optimization within service operations, how would you translate these advanced concepts into a classroom setting for MBA students who may have a diverse understanding of operations management?

So first I will uh.

Start from the basics of the queuing inventory systems. So first I will talk about the how this queue forms like in a general real life scenarios where we visit our bank or where we visit in a temple. So everywhere we find suppose we are visiting in a metro, everywhere we find the queue. So how we optimize these queues and how these. Systems like Metro station how they?

Are men how they can manage all these skills and they can reduce the waiting times for our customers. So with these examples I will give some institutional about the Queen theory.

How these service systems work so like? So I will provide all these things and then I will proceed with the advance things from the Queen query. And if I will talk about the inventory, then how systems is told the inventory and what will what should be the optimization level for the inventory and what will be the reorder level, what should be the lead time. So all these things I will explain earlier and then I will proceed for the advanced things and so that they can.

Will. Adopt all these things.

About the service positions.

Your structured approach seems thoroughly thought out, Dr. Verma. Starting with relatable, real-world examples like queues in metros or banks is an excellent way to engage MBA students and ground them in the fundamentals of queuing theory. Transitioning this understanding into practical operational tools like optimization, waiting time reduction, and then gradually advancing to inventory models adds depth. To build on this, how would you ensure that these advanced topics, like reorder levels and lead times, are made relevant to MBA students who might focus more on strategy and managerial decision-making, rather than purely technical solutions?

Yes. Uh, so, uh, my research, uh, I have, uh, build up all these, uh, results, how I can, we can optimize all these things. So they are more industry oriented students. So my focus will provide them the, the, how they can think about these systems, how these systems work because they will not focus. On the mathematical things they they're focus will will should be the.

How these systems work what is the strategy behind these systems so I will ensure that they are students are actually.

Uh, I think, uh, are able to think how these systems are work so and, uh, also, uh, what should be the, uh.

Uh, best way, uh, so that they can provide some, uh, optimization things for the systems. So suppose, uh, let's, uh, create an example of a like.

Often food machine where we if we will think that this machine will. Serve the food. With with the providing the some recipe of in a format of a coat and then how to sell this product into the market. So I will also I will provide how these systems work. So with these type of examples, I will insert that students are.

Going good.

It's clear that your approach centers on fostering a deep understanding of how systems operate, rather than focusing solely on the mathematical foundations. By using dynamic, industry-relevant examples like food vending machines and practical optimization strategies, you're well-positioned to guide MBA students to think critically and align operations management concepts with real-world applications. To gauge their learning, how would you assess whether the students have effectively grasped the strategic and operational insights from your course by the end of a module?

Yeah uh, so for, for the that I will provide them, uh, uh, instead quiz. So where I will ask, uh, the key, I will ask about, I will provide some case slates and then I will ask them to explain how, uh, these systems are working and what is the. Strategy behind these systems. So using the caseloads, quizzes, mini projects, I will evaluate students, how they're performing and how they are.

Uh, increasing with the class and, uh assignments.

Your plan to utilize case studies, quizzes, mini projects, and assignments for assessment is both comprehensive and practical. This multi-faceted evaluation approach not only fosters critical thinking but also ensures that students are able to relate theoretical concepts to tangible, real-world scenarios. Would you also encourage collaboration among students for some of these activities, such as group projects, to simulate team-based decision-making, similar to what they might encounter in managerial roles?

Yes, that would be a great approach for our team learning things because after placement they are going to work in a team. So we'll I will provide some like if we'll teach some operations things, then I will provide some assignments, group assignments on each caselit on. I will think how they are critically thinking about this case. Let's and I will. I will ask about the.

Uh, their, uh, findings about this. So I will, yeah, that would be a good, good approach to work in our groups. And then based on the their, uh, individual, uh, uh, their individual, uh, put input. So I will evaluate all these things.

Professor, could you outline your 3-year research roadmap and explain how you plan to integrate emerging trends like artificial intelligence or supply chain analytics to elevate both your research output and teaching effectiveness in the Operations domain?

So.

Currently, uh, on, uh, like, uh, I have worked on a Mahakumbh project that was held in January 2025 to uh, February 2025 where we have restored our data of our pilgrims arriving into the, uh, Mahakumbh so.

With, uh, these, uh, data, so we'll able to predict using the data analytics. So if we will able to predict, uh, before, uh, for, uh, suppose, uh, two days, then we will able to, uh, uh, then we, we will able to plan all these things. So we will able to minimize the Stampede at the all these kind of religious places, so. So so with these.

Data analytics inputs I will able to predict all these things so.

Thanks.

Professor, thank you for sharing the example. Let me ask, how do you envision mentoring junior researchers in your lab to scale your research efforts, ensuring a consistent pipeline of high-quality publications and meaningful outputs?

Yeah, because I have a good.

Uh, institute background like, uh, IIT Madras and, uh, I am Ahmedabad and NIT Raipur. So, uh, with these professors currently I'm working. So I will, uh, provide these students, uh, with some uh, uh, online sessions from expertise of this area. And so that students are very much able to understand the fundamentals of the research if they are able to.

Understand the fundamentals of the research then they will work very efficiently on the research. So if they will struggle any anything in the research, then I will be there to help them and I will always engage with their students for a high quality research because our main target is to produce a very high quality research paper so so I will.

Provide them a good environment for the research so they can.

Then projects during their semesters also. So also they can publish research papers with a a good publications.

How do you plan to leverage international collaborations to enhance citation metrics and amplify the global impact of your research?

Yes, uh, so I have a one collaborations from uh, uh, Canada. So, uh, I will.

I have a like I, I have approach with two or three professors. So I will involve all these professors into the research. If we suppose we are doing a good research, then everybody is ready to collaborate. So we'll provide a good atmosphere, other research, then I will ask them and I will. Take suggestions from them and their like their professor, their.

Professor Say will help us to for a good collaborations and all these things.

Professor, could you detail an implementation of an active learning model, such as the Flipped Classroom, for a large-enrollment operations course—ensuring it does not rely on slides?

Yeah, I will provide them examples on like green board or blackboard so that students are are not completely involved into the slides. So I for each explanation I will provide them a mathematical formula. If there is then I will explain all these things.

Very basic form. Then students are able to adopt all these things.

So, uh, completely, uh.

It, it will be a multiple, uh, like slide or uh, uh, green board, uh, teaching is, uh, scenario.

Understood, Professor. Beyond the blackboard approach, how would you integrate emerging technologies like artificial intelligence or supply chain analytics into your operations courses to deepen student engagement and understanding?

Using the caselits we can evaluate like I can teach students. So I will provide caselits that are very popular in MBAs.

Schools so using the caselits.

The I can teach students so that they can learn more about their thinking skills.

I see, Professor. Now, shifting towards assessments—how would you design evaluation tools to measure actual competency in operations, beyond standardized testing? What innovative methods might you employ?

Uh, uh, can can you repeat?

Certainly, Professor. How would you design innovative evaluation tools to measure actual competency in operations, rather than relying solely on standardized tests?

Yes, uh.

So I will, uh.

Go ahead, Professor; take your time.

OK, so like I have worked on a.

Uh, in like metric analytics method Finder, finding out the, uh, uh, joint probability distributions in our research. So these methods are well existed. Uh, so, and so I will, uh, provide, if we will have a data, then we'll, uh, provide the training things and then we'll find out the accuracy of the, that model. So all these things will work. In in this scenario.

Some certain methods.

Professor, could you provide a systematic approach to improve the research output per faculty in your department, which is a crucial metric for achieving high-level accreditation?

So I will provide a good research for the department so they can like with the collaborations. I will I would like to work with the team of the department so that we will provide a good input for the institute and also for a research perspective.

We'll go good.

Output for the research.

Thank you for your response, Professor. Could you elaborate further on how you would systematically organize these collaborations within the department? For instance, how would you ensure that faculty members remain engaged and productive in collaborative research efforts?

Yes, uh, if, uh, I feel, I believe that if uh, like topic is interesting and it is more relevant to the real life scenarios, then I would like to ask. Them they, if their expertise are well aligned with the idea of the research, then we'll engage a meeting and then we'll provide, we'll take a good solutions for that.

So these engaging with the team and, uh, the, uh, discussions with the faculty members will help to, uh, to uh, these things.

Understood, Professor. Lastly, could you share your experience in leading internal committees that directly impacted quality audit results, and how you managed to balance such responsibilities with your research commitments?

I would like to work like, uh, if there is any, any departmental work like, uh, uh, because I also would like to, uh, engage on, uh, like research club where students present all these things and also similar type of similar.

Time I would like to work on the research also because I'm a well.

I value the deadlines of so if there is a research target, so I will complete all the all these things and I also engage with the classes and the departmental works. So I think my personality suits people tasks. So all these liveries will help me to work in that scenario.

Uh, will timely person. So I, uh.