About Us

NMIMS-VT PARTNERSHIP

This unique partnership between Virginia Tech (VT) and Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) fosters collaboration on education and research while providing faculty development opportunities. At the behest of the Chancellor of NMIMS University, Shri Amrish Bhai Patel, the Virginia Tech NMIMS Institute for Global Education and Curriculum Innovation (IGE) was launched to enhance the quality of research and education at both universities.

This partnership provides Virginia Tech faculty an opportunity to work with international faculty and students and provides NMIMS a unique opportunity to collaborate with Virginia Tech faculty on research and education.

The NMIMS-VT Institute for Global Education and Curriculum Innovation promotes research scholarship through highly regarded publications and cutting-edge pedagogical practices for the benefit of our students.

IGE provides structure to and visibility for the budding relationship between NMIMS and VT in the Indian subcontinent.

By recruiting and developing its own faculty and doctoral students, IGE enhances research and faculty development for NMIMS and provides mutually beneficial results for both institutions.

 

VISION: THEMATIC RESEARCH AND EDUCATION

 

IGE’s mission is to envision, create and deliver responsive solutions that transcend institutional, departmental, and disciplinary boundaries for complex and emerging challenges through adaptive academic and research capacity.

  • To this end, IGE shifts the dialog and implementation of academic and research capacity from a siloed, institutional, and discipline-based paradigm to: 
  • Transnational, to encourage collaborations of academicians and researchers across national borders;

  • Adaptive, to address emerging problems that are definitionally multi-faceted and require the integration of education and research in many disciplines to create effective solutions;

  • Responsive, to finding solutions to real-world problems that impact the quality of life of individuals and society;

  • Technology-driven, to ensure that best-of-breed and emerging solutions across computing, biological sciences, engineering, mathematics, and business are brought to bear to find appropriate solutions to complex global challenges.


  • IGE focuses on these specific goals:
  • Create a research portfolio that is adaptive and responsive to contemporary problems that are critical and evolving in nature
  • Craft degree and non-degree programs that address the academic component of such needs
  • Foster the dissolution of barriers between institutions and departmental organizational structures to promote the above research and academic agenda
  • Promote a culture among faculty and students to adhere to the adaptive paradigm and go beyond the interdisciplinary paradigm

MANAGEMENT: GOVERNANCE

 

IGE is administered by joint committees of faculty and administrators from VT and NMIMS.  Two primary committees are responsible for the administration of IGE:

  • The Steering Committee sets the strategy and vision for IGE and is responsible for all administrative matters related to research and education programs, faculty and students at IGE.
  • The Academic Committee is responsible for all academic matters related to IGE. It has responsibility for hiring of IGE faculty and doctoral students and is responsible for the research agenda set by IGE. Additionally, promotion and tenure decisions and policies related to IGE faculty are administered by this committee.
    Curricular, program and other academic matters reside with the individual colleges and departments who are responsible for the programs.

IGE Steering Committee Members from NMIMS

Dr. Ramesh Bhat                    Vice Chancellor

Dr. Sharad Mhaiskar              Pro Vice Chancellor

Dr. Alka Mahajan                    Dean, Mukesh Patel School of Technology Management & Engineering

Dr. Meena Chintamaneni     Pro Vice Chancellor


IGE Steering Committee Members from Virginia Tech

Dr. Guru Ghosh                 Vice President Outreach and International Affairs

Dr. G. Don Taylor               Executive Vice Provost and Charles O. Gordon Professor of ISE

Dr. Don Hempson             Associate Vice President Outreach and International Affairs

Dr. Tarun Sen                     Professor Emeritus and Managing Director Strategic Educational Initiatives


IGE Academic Committee

Dr. Sharad Mhaiskar             Pro Vice Chancellor, NMIMS

Dr. Alka Mahajan                   Dean, Mukesh Patel School of Technology Management & Engineering

Dr. Vaishali Kulkarni             Associate Dean, Mukesh Patel School of Technology Management & Engineering

Dr. Tarun Sen                         Professor Emeritus Accounting and Information Systems Virginia Tech

Dr. Reza Barkhi                      KPMG Professor of Accounting and Information Systems Virginia Tech

Dr. Raman Kumar                 R.V. and A.F. Oliver Professor of Finance Virginia Tech


IGE Executives

Dean / Director (academic position to be filled)

Dr. Tarun Sen                        Virginia Tech, Advisor IGE 

Dr. Sharad Mhaiskar            NMIMS, Advisor IGE 

Dr. Khaled Hassouna           Virginia Tech, Dy. Director IGE

Ms. Meena Saxena                NMIMS, Dy. Director IGE

 

Programs

 

IGE offers a VT-NMIMS collaboration for several programs in the US and in India. These programs are aligned with the mission of IGE which is to be transnational, adaptive, responsive and technology-driven.
As such, IGE’s current programs are aligned with data science, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity. These programs are highly adaptive, immersive, and responsive to the needs of industry.

Prospective students may apply to these ongoing programs.


Our world is inundated with data which can be a rich resource if harvested appropriately. Data science provides the ability to use data to make our lives better and enable us to be more responsive to the changing nature of our environment. 
This two-year program focuses on experiential learning and blends technology and the business world so that our students are ready from day one to be productive citizens. We strive to continuously align the program to emerging developments in data science technologies. The program has been well-received by industry as evidenced by placement.
To apply, please visit the program website.

This is a four-year degree program in data science offered by the computer science department at NMIMS.
The program creates a foundation for the M.Tech, Data Science program. To apply please visit the program website.

This is a four-year degree program in data science offered by the computer science department at NMIMS.
The program creates a foundation for the M.Tech, Data Science program. To apply please visit the program website.

Virginia Tech has a strong focus on technology and offers pioneering programs in cybersecurity
VT’s approach towards cybersecurity is interdisciplinary bringing together areas of expertise from engineering, computer science, mathematics, and business. 
Management of technology infrastructure from a cybersecurity perspective is more important in a globally connected world.
This innovative four-year program prepares you to meet industry demands.
To apply please visit the program website.  

Virginia Tech has a strong focus on technology and offers pioneering programs in cybersecurity
VT’s approach towards cybersecurity is interdisciplinary bringing together areas of expertise from engineering, computer science, mathematics, and business. 
Management of technology infrastructure from a cybersecurity perspective is more important in a globally connected world.
This innovative four-year program prepares you to meet industry demands.
To apply please visit the program website.  

This five-year integrated program (called the 3+1+1 program) requires students to spend the first three years at the NMIMS’ Mumbai campus and the final two  years at Virginia Tech’s campus  in the US. 
Students benefit from the best of an interconnected world. This pioneering program brings together two renowned universities together in an innovative collaboration.  
To apply please visit the program website at NMIMS.

This five-year integrated program (called the 3+1+1 program) requires students to spend the first three years at the NMIMS’ Mumbai campus and the final two  years at Virginia Tech’s campus  in the US.  Students benefit from the best of an interconnected world. This pioneering program brings together two renowned universities together in an innovative collaboration.   To apply please visit the program website at NMIMS.

Faculty

 

All faculty at IGE hold doctoral degrees from reputed institutions across the globe. They are active researchers and are expected to excel in the classroom. IGE faculty have a global focus and are expected to actively pursue joint research with Virginia Tech and NMIMS faculty. Virginia Tech is a research institution whose faculty development effort is driven by high-quality research.
IGE is based on the NMIMS Chancellor’s desire to emulate Virginia Tech’s faculty development approach. For this reason, IGE utilizes a research-based paradigm and follows faculty development models in practice at VT.

Faculty development occurs over some time. As such, IGE faculty are hired at the Assistant Professor rank. Subsequently, a Promotion and Tenure Committee consisting of at least three tenured faculty from VT along with research faculty from NMIMS assess faculty performance and progression.
Faculty at IGE will be on the tenure track for six years after which a mandatory tenure decision will be made. At the three-year mark, a pre-tenure review occurs which is the basis for employment continuation decision.

At this stage faculty at IGE are being recruited. As in any new initiative, the initial set of faculty is visiting faculty from Virginia Tech or affiliated to Virginia Tech. The active visiting faculty at IGE are listed below. These faculty members are laying the groundwork and foundation for future faculty and doctoral students at IGE.

Our Visiting Faculty:

Research

 

The guiding principles for IGE’s research focus are as follows:

  • A research-based focus requires faculty development to be based on a robust review process. IGE faculty are tenure-track faculty with PhDs from reputed universities.
  • The reputation of the journals where research is published is material since it drives recognition of academic programs. 
    IGE faculty are expected to publish at least two papers a year in reputed journals from IEEE, ACM, Informs. 
  • Graduate students are an important part of the research focus. 
    IGE faculty will be supported by students enrolled in the Ph.D. programs in data science, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity offered by the Computer Science Department at NMIMS.
  • While industry-funded research is useful, it should not distract Assistant Professors from their publication responsibilities. 
    Assistant Professors at IGE will not be expected to do industry funded research unless the research is a vehicle for publishing in reputed journals.   
  • Accomplishing on the research front while teaching can be challenging.
    Until tenure, Assistant Professors will be on reduced teaching load and teach two courses a year for IGE programs.
    Additionally, Assistant Professors will offer one PhD seminar a year for the enrolled doctoral students.  
  • Supervision of doctoral students is core to IGE’s mission. 
    All IGE faculty will be involved in supervising doctoral students as part of their employment requirements.  
  • Continuous focus on the VT-NMIMS partnership is crucial to IGE’s success.
    IGE faculty are encouraged to collaborate and publish with faculty and PhD students from Virginia Tech. 

 

IGE PhD Program

The IGE PhD program is actively seeking students in computer science who will specialize either in data science, artificial intelligence, or cybersecurity.    The normal expectation for completion of the PhD is at least 4 full-time years.  There is a requirement of two years of full-time graduate level course work.  Ph.D. students should have a strong affinity for research and be excellent teachers.  They will be required to either assist or teach IGE courses, as needed.  PhD students are expected to publish at least three papers in globally recognized journals before they graduate.

The PhD program is guided by a  PhD Advisory Committee consisting of five faculty members including  three from IGE and two from Virginia Tech.   


Admissions Criteria:

  • Masters degree from an academic institution of repute
  • Excellent grades
  • GRE scores, GATE Scores in CS
  • Excellent communication skills
  • Aptitude and potential for research and teaching
  •  

    Duration of Program

    4+ years full time


    Graduate Assistantships

    Available to all admitted students. 
    Graduate assistants are expected to teach some classes and actively support faculty research

     

    How to Apply

    The application for admission should consist of the following:

  • Cover letter with a statement of purpose
  • Complete resume
  • Transcripts of grades
  • 3 academic reference letters
  • GRE, GATE Scores in CS
  • Completed application form
  • Application fee

  • Please submit online to  :

    Other Collaboration Areas

  • Through IGE, Virginia Tech will assist NMIMS in other faculty development initiatives in areas such as agriculture. 
  • The Economics Department at Virginia Tech is collaborating with the Sarla Modi School of Economics at NMIMS. 
           Dr. Sudipta Sarangi,  a noted economist from Virginia Tech,   is teaching a course on Game Theory to students at NMIMS.