2022 Best Undergraduate Professors: Leela Nageswaran, University of Washington Foster School of Business

Leela Nageswaran
University of Washington Foster School of Business

“Leela was nominated because she has succeeded in her incredible efforts to make a highly quantitative class approachable to the students and grounded in real world concepts. Her ability to make a quantitatively intense course accessible was also noticed by her students. She has created unique and engaging course materials such as a 15 video series and curated articles to help students contextualize concepts from class. Leela truly understands what her students need and strives to be an effective and engaging lecturer.” – Christina Fong, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs

Leela Nageswaran, 34, is an Assistant professor at University of Washington Foster School of Business.

She works on practice-driven problems in operations, with a focus on understanding disruptive models in retailing and services. Her work has been published in journals such as Management Science and Manufacturing & Service Operations Management.

She received the 2022 Dean’s Excellence Award for Undergraduate Teaching at Foster School of Business, the William W. Cooper Doctoral Dissertation Award from Carnegie Mellon University, second place in the IBM Service Science Best Student Paper Award, and the William Larimer Mellon Fellowship from Carnegie Mellon.

BACKGROUND

At current institution since what year? 2018

Education:

  • BTech in Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras
  • MS in Operations Management, Carnegie Mellon University
  • PhD in Operations Management, Carnegie Mellon University

List of Undergraduate courses you teach: Principles of Operations Management

TELL US ABOUT LIFE AS A BUSINESS SCHOOL PROFESSOR

I knew I wanted to be a business school professor when… I was working as a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group when, somewhere between 5 am flights and never-ending slide decks, I realized that quantitative analysis is key to making a lasting impact on businesses and the aspect of consulting I enjoyed most. At the same time, I wanted to make these tools (and, more generally, the beautiful world of math in business) accessible to as many people as possible. It was easy to see that a business school professor gig allows me to accomplish both goals.

What are you currently researching and what is the most significant discovery you’ve made from it? I am currently studying the incentives of retailers who start online marketplaces where brands or sellers can directly sell to consumers. We find that the diversity of suppliers plays an important role: when there is significant uncertainty in the product quality, having both the traditional and marketplace formats could improve profits for the supplier and the retailer.

If I weren’t a business school professor, I’d be… A food critic

What do you think makes you stand out as a professor? I am true to myself: what students see during a course is how I am all the time. The authenticity ensures that the course is an inviting space for students. I am also a firm believer in leveling the playing field and I strive to make every class session work for a wide variety of students. For example, when teaching complex quantitative concepts, I incorporate short video segments that provide a teaser or introduce the main concept as pre-session work. This allows students to come to class prepared to ask questions and they subsequently are challenged from a common starting point during the live class time.

One word that describes my first time teaching: Steep-learning-curve.

Here’s what I wish someone would’ve told me about being a business school professor: It is more a way of life than a job.

Professor I most admire and why: My PhD advisor, Professor Alan Scheller-Wolf, is the one I most admire. He is patient and encouraging with his students, and he puts a lot of effort into helping them succeed. He also has a thirst for knowledge and is sharper than anyone I know. I find myself trying to emulate him when it comes to mentoring and teaching students.

TEACHING BUSINESS SCHOOL STUDENTS

What do you enjoy most about teaching business students? Practical impact: I love incorporating current news into my classes. The students are able to appreciate how the content learned in the course applies to real business problems and see first-hand how companies’ decisions are riddled with complex trade-offs.

“Fun” math: On most days, my teaching involves rigorous mathematical analyses applied to business problems, and as such, I get a kick out of showing students how math can be both fun and useful! I especially enjoy helping students critically examine their model, assumptions, and findings, which is a skill that’s valuable regardless of their profession.

What is most challenging? Finding when to stop refining a course. I constantly tweak my course each year to make changes to the flow, exercises, cases, and teaching approaches.

In one word, describe your favorite type of student: Inquisitive

In one word, describe your least favorite type of student: Apathetic

When it comes to grading, I think students would describe me as… Rational

LIFE OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

What are your hobbies? I enjoy reading both non-fiction and fiction: On the non-fiction side, I am currently reading Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Francesc Miralles and Hector Garcia, and on the fiction side, I like Jeffrey Archer’s writing and am currently reading the William Warwick series. I am a self-taught knitter, and I find it to be very relaxing and rewarding to make things for my toddler. I absolutely enjoy cooking and trying out new recipes as well.

How will you spend your summer? Research and enjoying time with family.

Favorite place(s) to vacation: Somewhere warm with a beach and good food! My hometown, Kerala, fondly nicknamed “God’s own country” will always be my first choice, but Hawaii is geographically closer.

Favorite book(s): Any of Jhumpa Lahiri’s books.

What is currently your favorite movie and/or show and what is it about the film or program that you enjoy so much? The Office. The show is funny and timeless.

What is your favorite type of music or artist(s) and why? Instrumentals for how moving even just one musical instrument can be.

THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS

If I had my way, the business school of the future would have much more of this… Seamless connections between students and employers, so that students can have more opportunities to solve real business problems during their school years. At the same time, employers are uniquely positioned to share trends in their industry, demonstrate applications of course content, and convey what capabilities are expected in the workforce as and when they evolve.

In my opinion, companies and organizations today need to do a better job at… Transparency. With today’s technology, it is easy to document, track and share information that demystifies the company or organization’s operations. In addition to the obvious accountability and consumer trust benefits, transparency can also improve efficiency and performance.

I’m grateful for… my husband Thomas and my parents for the endless support. And to my daughter for keeping me young.

DON’T MISS: THE ENTIRE 2022 ROSTER OF THE 50 BEST UNDERGRAD PROFESSORS

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