Dr. Kumar Ujjwal is a researcher in Manufacturing Technology with expertise in metal additive manufacturing, particularly wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM). His research lies at the intersection of manufacturing processes, materials science, and structural performance, with a focus on establishing robust process-structure-property relationships. Through this integrated approach, his work aims to make metal additive manufacturing more reliable, scalable, and suitable for industrial applications.

  • Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering (Manufacturing), IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, India (Part of doctoral research carried out at Monash University, Australia, under the Sandwich PhD Fellowship)
  • M.Tech. in Computer Integrated Manufacturing, NIT Agartala, India.
  • B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai, India.

List of publications in international journals
  • Ujjwal, K., Chauhan, C., Raman, R.S. and Das, A.K., 2025. Mitigation of porosity and surface defects in wire arc additive manufactured aluminium alloy through heat input and inert gas flow control. Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-025-11550-6
  • Ujjwal, K., Al-Saadi, S., Das, A.K. and Raman, R.S., 2024. Corrosion and stress corrosion cracking characteristics of 4043 aluminium alloy fabricated through directed energy deposition process. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 976, p.173154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2023.173154
  • Ujjwal, K., Raman, R.S. and Das, A.K., 2024. Role of arc weaving strategies in the fabrication of thick-walled 4043 aluminium alloy components through directed energy deposition process. CIRP Journal of Manufacturing Science and Technology, 52, pp.12-25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cirpj.2024.05.016
  • Ujjwal, K., Singh, R., Anand, M., Raman, R.S. and Das, A.K., 2024. Novel electric arc-based surface smoothening for wire arc additively manufactured components. Materials Letters, p.136829. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matlet.2024.136829
  • Ujjwal, K., Anand Kumar, K., Anand, M., Singh Raman, R.K. and Das, A.K., 2023. Effect of current waveforms during directed energy deposition of 4043 aluminum alloy on microstructure, hardness, and wear of alloy. Materials, 16(20), p.6716. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16206716
List of international conferences
  • Ujjwal, K., Anand, M., Bishwakarma, H. and Das, A.K., 2023. Effect of clamping position on the residual stress in wire arc additive manufacturing. International Journal of Materials Research, 114(10-11), pp.872-878. https://doi.org/10.1515/ijmr-2022-0249
  • Anand, M., Bishwakarma, H., Kumar, N., Ujjwal, K. and Das, A.K., 2022. Fabrication of multilayer thin wall by WAAM technique and investigation of its microstructure and mechanical properties. Materials Today: Proceedings, 56, pp.927-930. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2022.02.542
  • Chauhan, C., Ujjwal, K., Anand, M., and Das, A.K., 2025. Porosity control in 4043 aluminium alloy fabricated through wire arc additive manufacturing process, pp.257-264 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-1647-3_21
Book chapter
  • Ujjwal, K., Kumar, R., Tyagi, R. and Das, A.K., 2024. Investigation on Tribology of Additively Manufactured Metal Part. In Tribological Aspects of Additive Manufacturing(pp. 11-38). CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003400523-2
List of published patents
  • Process of electric arc-based smoothening of wire arc additive manufactured (WAAM) components. Inventors Name: Kumar Ujjwal, Mukul Anand, Robin Singh, Alok Kumar Das. (Application No: 202431002351; Date of filing: 12/01/2024; Patent Status: Published)
  • A laser-based process for topography correction of Wire-Arc Additive Manufactured components. Inventors Name: Mukul Anand, Kumar Ujjwal, Alok Kumar Das (Application No: 202431067209; Date of filing: 05/09/2024; Patent Status: Published)

  • Jan 2026 – Present: Assistant Professor, Mahindra University, Hyderabad, India.
  • July 2022 – Jan 2023: Visiting Research Scholar, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia (Experimental research on corrosion and stress corrosion cracking of wire arc additive manufactured aluminium alloys)

  • Metal additive manufacturing (wire arc additive manufacturing, WAAM)
  • Welding and joining of materials
  • Laser processing of materials
  • Stress corrosion cracking of additively manufactured materials
  • Simulation and modelling of additive manufacturing processes

Dr. Neeraj Kumar Pradhan is an Assistant Professor in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Hyderabad. He holds a Ph.D. from IIT Bombay, specializing in solid propellant combustion modeling, and has 7 years of industry experience at General Motors.
His research focuses on combustion modeling, heat transfer, and fluid mechanics, integrating phenomenological, one-dimensional reactive CFD, and two-dimensional CFD approaches to advance predictive understanding of homogeneous and heterogeneous propellants.

  • Ph.D.: Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India, 2025
  • M.Tech: Thermal Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Dept. Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India, 2012
  • B.Tech: Mechanical Engineering, Biju Pattanaik University of Technology, Rourkela, 2009

Journal papers
Conference papers
  • 11th International Conference on Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow (HTFF 2024), Barcelona, Spain N.K. Pradhan, A. Chowdhury, D. Chakraborty, N. Kumbhakarna, A model for AP and AP/HTPB premixed combustion
  • FISITA Conference, 2018, Chennai Neeraj Kumar Pradhan, Mohit Garg, General Motors Technical Centre India Pvt. Ltd. Estimation of engagement and disengagement points in manual transmission clutch release system, SAE Technical Paper, F2018-PTE-072
  • 14th Asia-Pacific Conference on Combustion (ASPACC), 2023, Kaohsiung, Taiwan N.K. Pradhan, A. Chowdhury, D. Chakraborty, N. Kumbhakarna, Modified Multiflame Model for AP-HTPB Composite Propellant Combustion, Paper no. 023.
  • 15th International Conference on Combustion Technologies for a Clean Environment,2023, Lisbon, N.K. Pradhan, A. Chowdhury, D. Chakraborty, N. Kumbhakarna, Numerical Simulation of Ammonium Perchlorate Combustion.

  • Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Mahindra University, Hyderabad, India (Jan 2026- Present)
  • Lead Engineer, Transmission CAE, General Motors Technical Centre India Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore, India (Aug 2012- Jan 2020)

  • Solid propellant combustion modeling
  • Reactive CFD modeling of homogeneous and heterogeneous propellants
  • Heat transfer and fluid mechanics in reacting flows
  • Computational modeling of propulsion and energy systems

Ganesan Ramaswamy is a visiting faculty member in Executive Education at Mahindra University. Dr Ganesan is a renowned leadership facilitator, success coach and mentor, innovation expert, and assessor of thinking preferences and behavioral attributes, with over two decades of experience in management education, consulting and training. He regularly trains senior and mid-level managers on leadership, team building, result orientation, motivation and creativity, and is a sought-after speaker at leading management institutes and professional forums such as Rotary, Lions Clubs, NIPM and YPO.

  • Honorary Doctorate in recognition of his work in Management Education.​
  • Fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (since 1986).​
  • MBA in Marketing.​

Dr Ganesan trains senior and mid-level managers in leadership, team building, result orientation, motivation, unleashing self-potential, overcoming inhibitions and restrictive thinking, creativity and innovation, and problem solving. He has trained and mentored executives from organizations such as Bank of America, Bosch, Unisys, Ericsson Global, Viteos, Canara Bank, Tata Motors, Godrej, Wipro, Emphasis-BFL, TNT Worldwide, Akzo Nobel, NTPC, NPCIL, Garware, Shoppers Stop, Ceat and others. He has chaired sessions, presented papers and delivered keynote addresses at numerous national and international conferences. Dr Ganesan has published the book “48 Sure shot Tools for Personal and Professional Success” and created a unique simulation exercise titled G-Square, designed to match motivators with deeply embedded life interests.

  • Visiting Faculty, Executive Education, Mahindra University.
  • Leadership facilitator, success coach, innovation expert and business consultant to corporates across sectors.
  • Senior guest speaker with leading management institutes and invited speaker at Rotary, Lions Clubs, NIPM, YPO and other professional platforms.
  • Member of editorial boards of several research journals in India and abroad.

His interests lie in personal and professional excellence, leadership development, motivation and behavioral preferences, creativity and innovation in managerial contexts, and tools and simulations for self-discovery and performance enhancement.

Sandeep Das is a Visiting Faculty at the Centre for Executive Education, Mahindra University, and a business leader with over 15 years of experience in FMCG and management consulting. An MBA from IIM Bangalore, he has held leadership positions in consumer goods and strategy consulting, and is widely recognized as one of Asia’s leading business storytelling coaches. He is the bestselling author of multiple books, including the long-running bestseller “How Business Storytelling Works”, and is a popular columnist and global keynote speaker.

  • MBA, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore.

Sandeep is the bestselling author of four (now five) successful books, with “How Business Storytelling Works” remaining on bestseller lists for over 40 weeks and being adopted as a textbook on storytelling at multiple IIMs. He has designed and delivered business storytelling, executive presence and communication programs for leadership teams at leading global organizations, helping them sharpen influence and impact. As a visiting faculty member at top Indian business schools, he teaches business storytelling and related leadership skills to executives and MBA participants. As a columnist, he has written more than 200 articles across major business and general media outlets, and his LinkedIn posts have garnered over 30 million reads, shaping contemporary thinking on careers, leadership and consumers.

  • Visiting Faculty, Centre for Executive Education, Mahindra University.
  • Visiting Faculty for Executive Education at IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore and IIM Lucknow (Business Storytelling and related leadership topics).
  • Leadership coach and storytelling coach for senior leaders and leadership teams at leading corporates (e.g., Unilever, Tata Group, Poshmark and others).
  • International keynote speaker on business storytelling, executive presence, negotiation strategies, strategic thinking and the future of the consumer, invited to conferences across the US, Europe and South-East Asia.
  • Former business leader in FMCG and Associate Director in management consulting roles.
  • Columnist and thought leader writing for Times of India, Economic Times, Mint, Fortune, Forbes, Business World and other leading publications.

His interests are centered on business storytelling, leadership communication, executive presence, negotiation strategies, strategic thinking, cross-cultural communication and the future of the consumer, with a strong focus on practical, application-oriented insights for leaders and professionals.

Nitin Sanker is a visiting faculty member at the Centre for Executive Education, Mahindra University, and the CEO and Managing Director of Middle Earth HR, Asia’s largest specialized company in HR and leadership certification training. With more than 5,000 leaders trained and partnerships with over 200 companies, he has played a significant role in building HR and leadership capabilities across Asia. An alumnus of IIT Roorkee and IIM Calcutta, Nitin is an international trainer in HRM and strategic leadership and a distinguished thought leader in HR development.

  • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, IIT Roorkee.​
  • Postgraduate degree in Business Administration (HR and Marketing), IIM Calcutta (1989–1991).

Nitin has collaborated with numerous organizations on leadership development and HR transformation assignments, including designing and managing assessment centers for companies such as Tata Motors, Samsung, VAR Group and EBI Egypt. He has been a consultant on strategic leadership projects, notably a large-scale initiative for over 140 organizations in Indonesia through the Asian Development Bank and strategic planning for ERC Mongolia under the World Bank. As a partner trainer for ISB and through Middle Earth HR, he has delivered leadership development programs for organizations including Dr. Reddy’s, HSBC, Amazon, Birla Soft, JSW Steel, Wipro Infotech, Indigo, TCS, Reliance Media, Suzlon Energy, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, CII, IDBI, Dubai Holding Group, Dubai Port, Qatar Airways, Aztech, EBI Egypt, BCC Egypt, SAR Group, Corplease and Hapag Lloyd. He has led consulting assignments in competency management, compensation design, assessment-center design, HR process design and strategic HR development, and has been recognized among the top prominent alumni of IIM Calcutta by Business India.

  • Jeffrey Allred Distinguished Scholar and Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship, UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School.​
  • Visiting Faculty, Executive Education, Mahindra University.
  • Former Associate Dean, Executive MBA Evening and Weekend Programs, UNC Kenan-Flagler.​
  • Former faculty member, Columbia University Graduate School of Business.​
  • Former visiting professor, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

His professional interests span HR training and capability building, competency mapping, assessment-center design, compensation structuring, HR process and systems design, and strategic HR development, with a strong focus on leadership development and large-scale transformation in emerging markets.

C K Vishwakarma is a visiting faculty member at Mahindra University and a senior digital transformation strategy and innovation leader with over 20 years of international experience, particularly in Singapore and the broader ASEAN region. He has developed digitalization strategies and blueprints for global organizations and led complex, multi-technology, multi-vendor, multi-million-dollar programs across high-tech industries including aviation, automotive, pharma, energy, airports, manufacturing, and broadcast and media. As CEO of AllThingsConnected and Founder of IoTSG, Southeast Asia’s largest AIoT ecosystem, he is widely recognized as a leading voice in digital transformation, AI, emerging technologies and Industry 4.0.

  • Master’s degree, National University of Singapore, supported by an Economic Development Board (EDB) Singapore scholarship.​
  • Earlier degree from IIT Roorkee, with a full academic scholarship for excellence.

Vishwakarma has designed and delivered digital transformation, AI and Industry 4.0 strategies for global organizations, creating practical frameworks and roadmaps that accelerate secure, scalable digitalization. He has led large, complex programs that integrate IT, IoT and OT across multi-vendor ecosystems, including establishing Digital Project Management Offices (DPMOs) and best-practice governance structures. As a community builder, he has grown IoTSG into one of Southeast Asia’s largest AIoT ecosystems, hosting and supporting over 100 leadership sessions and connecting thousands of professionals, startups and enterprises. He also mentors and evaluates startups and scale-ups, having assessed more than 200 ventures within the innovation and venture-building ecosystem.

  • Visiting Faculty, Mahindra University (Digital Organization – Strategy Framework, Executive Education).
  • CEO, AllThingsConnected, Singapore.
  • Founder, IoTSG – one of Southeast Asia’s largest IoT/AIoT ecosystems with thousands of professionals and 100+ thought-leadership sessions.
  • ASEAN Leader, AIoT User Group, helping enterprises leverage AI+IoT for industrial and smart-city applications.
  • Business Strategy and Digital Transformation leader and consultant for global enterprises across aviation, oil and gas, ports, industrial manufacturing and media.
  • Adjunct/associate faculty at leading Singapore institutions (e.g., SP Jain School of Global Management, Singapore University of Social Sciences, Singapore Institute of Technology), teaching AI, IoT and digital transformation.

His interests are practice- and impact-focused around digital transformation strategy, AI and data strategy, AIoT and Industry 4.0 readiness, and secure, sustainable digitalization of critical infrastructure. He is particularly engaged with topics such as IT–IoT–OT convergence, cybersecurity for industrial systems, smart cities, and ecosystem-led innovation models, and frequently supervises capstone projects in applied IoT and AI for domains like healthcare, manufacturing and smart cities.

Ganapathy S. Nathan is a visiting faculty member in Executive Education Programs at Mahindra University, bringing nearly 35 years of industry experience in managerial and leadership roles in India and the US, primarily with Asian Paints (India) Ltd. and Wipro Ltd. He has worked across supply chain operations, ERP product development and consulting, and open innovation and IP management, with a focus on leveraging emerging technologies for operations and customer experience.

  • N.A.

Nathan has led large-scale supply chain operations and distribution networks, giving him deep insight into real-world SCM challenges and execution. He has guided organizations on ERP strategy and transformation, from product development to implementation and value realization, and has championed organization-wide innovation and IP initiatives, including collaborations with tech start-ups. In executive education, he focuses on translating this experience into capability-building programs for leaders across consumer products, retail, chemicals and infotech sectors.

  • Visiting Faculty, Executive Education Programs, Mahindra University.
  • Former Zonal-level leader at Asian Paints in decorative and industrial paint sales and distribution management.​
  • Senior roles at Wipro in ERP product development, presales and solutioning across SAP, Oracle and Ramco in supply chain and asset management domains.​
  • Consultant in ERP selection, business process mapping and reengineering, application consolidation and benefits realization in supply chain management.​
  • Leader in open innovation and IP management at Wipro, including incubation of tech start-up partnerships and emerging tech IP in blockchain, robotics and AI.

His interests are rooted in practice-oriented innovation: supply chain and ERP strategy, operations-focused use cases of emerging technologies such as blockchain, robotics and AI, and organization-wide innovation and IP management aimed at enhancing operations and customer experience.

Ramachandran Kallankara is a visiting faculty member in Executive Education Programs at Mahindra University with deep experience in IT consulting for supply chain and analytics. Over his career, he has helped organizations across Asia design and implement demand and supply planning, sales and operations planning and procurement improvement initiatives, and has founded analytics-driven businesses serving manufacturing, retail, healthcare and HR clients

  • PGDM, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore.
  • B.Tech, Indian Institute of Technology Madras.

Ramachandran has designed and delivered supply chain capability development programs for senior, mid-career and early-career professionals, aimed at creating industry-ready supply chain talent and upskilling experienced executives. He has led consulting engagements in demand and supply planning, S&OP, procurement process improvement and product strategy for supply chain software, helping firms institutionalize data-driven decision making. His entrepreneurial work in building an end-to-end recruitment platform demonstrates his ability to integrate technology, analytics and business strategy.

  • Visiting Faculty, Executive Education Programs, Mahindra University.
  • Partner, ValueQwest, a boutique consulting firm in the supply chain domain.
  • Founder and former CEO of a recruitment-platform company that integrated candidates and organizations on one digital platform, leading product roadmap, business strategy and customer acquisition.
  • Early-career leader at Infosys, where he was a key contributor in setting up the Enterprise Solutions practice focusing on enterprise package services.
  • Supply chain and analytics consultant for clients across Asia, including capability-building workshops and advisory projects.

His practice and learning interests focus on supply chain analytics, demand–supply planning, S&OP, digital platforms for talent management, and sustainability and circularity in supply chains, with a strong emphasis on capability building and data literacy.

Dr. Kaushik Ghatak is a visiting faculty member in Executive Education Programs at Mahindra University with more than 30 years of industry and academic experience across Asia-Pacific and North America. He is the Founder and Director of ValueQwest Pte. Ltd., Singapore, and works extensively with universities and corporations to build supply chain and analytics capabilities using experiential, simulation-based learning. He has held senior roles with SAP, Oracle, PwC Consulting and IBM, advising global clients on supply chain transformation and business performance improvement.

  • PhD in Production and Operations Management, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore.

Dr. Ghatak designs and delivers executive programs in sustainable supply chain management, supply chain analytics and digital transformation, using business simulation games and data-driven decision-making exercises. He has driven capability development programs for leaders and managers in consumer products, retail, chemicals, infotech and industrial manufacturing across Asia and North America. He regularly collaborates with business schools and corporate universities to integrate real-world supply chain scenarios into curricula and executive workshops.

  • Visiting Faculty, Executive Education Programs, Mahindra University.
  • Founder and Director, ValueQwest Pte. Ltd., Singapore.
  • Director Education (APAC), Inchainge, engaging university and corporate clients on supply chain simulation-based learning.​
  • Chairperson, Supply Chain Leaders Group, EGN Singapore.​
  • Advisor, Korn Ferry Digital and Principal Advisor, Ecosystm.​
  • Earlier leadership and consulting roles with SAP, Oracle, PwC Consulting and IBM in supply chain, operations and technology domains.

His professional and practice-oriented interests lie in sustainable supply chain analytics, operations research and simulation modeling, technology-enabled supply chain transformation, and capability development for data-driven decision making in organizations.

Atul Nerkar is Jeffrey Allred Distinguished Scholar and Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship at the Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Visiting Faculty in Executive Education at Mahindra University. His work centers on how technology, innovation and entrepreneurship shape business and corporate strategy, with a particular emphasis on R&D-intensive industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and optical media. Before joining UNC, he served on the faculty of Columbia Business School and as a visiting professor at the Wharton School, and earlier worked with the Unilever Group of Companies in India.

  • PhD in Strategic Management, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, USA.​
  • MA in Managerial Science and Applied Economics, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, USA.​
  • Bachelor’s degree in Production Engineering, University of Bombay (now University of Mumbai), India.​
  • MBA (International Business), Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), New Delhi, India.

Prof. Nerkar has contributed to executive and degree programs globally, designing and delivering courses and custom programs on strategy formulation, strategic execution, innovation and entrepreneurship for a wide range of organizations. He brings to the classroom a blend of academic rigor and industry experience drawn from his work with Unilever and his collaborations with firms in pharmaceuticals, chemicals and technology-intensive sectors. His leadership as associate dean helped strengthen UNC’s Evening and Weekend Executive MBA programs serving working professionals.

  • Jeffrey Allred Distinguished Scholar and Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship, UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School.​
  • Visiting Faculty, Executive Education, Mahindra University.
  • Former Associate Dean, Executive MBA Evening and Weekend Programs, UNC Kenan-Flagler.​
  • Former faculty member, Columbia University Graduate School of Business.​
  • Former visiting professor, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

Prof. Nerkar’s research examines how technology, innovation and entrepreneurship influence firm strategy and performance. He studies research productivity in organizations and the evolution of technological capabilities, focusing on industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and optical disc manufacturing. His current work analyzes the drivers of R&D success by investigating firms’ patent portfolios and the evolutionary processes behind their development over time.

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