Gaurav Shekhar, PhD

Master of Science - Information Technology and Management
The University of Texas at Dallas - 2016

Bachelor of Technology - Computer Science and Engineering
Uttar Pradesh Technical University - 2010

 AI based Traffic Management System  2021 - publications

 AI-Driven Contextual Virtual Teaching Assistant Using RASA  2020 - publications

On-Demand Intelligent Resource Assessment and Allocation System Using NLP for Project Management. 2020 - publications

 Using Scrum Principals to transform the classroom  2018 - publications

Inducted into "Dallas 500" - D CEO Magazine [2024]

40 under 40 - Dallas Business Journal [2023]

99 Data Influencers to follow - Data Science Connect [2023]

Outstanding Community Service - Chinese Institute of Engineers/Mayor of Richardson [2023]

Men Supporting Women in Technology - Women Leading Technology [2023]

Graduate Faculty of the Year (OWLIE) - Naveen Jindal School of Management [2022]

UiPath Visionary Educator of the Year - UiPath [2022]

40 under 40 Data Leader - CDO Magazine [2022]

Presidential Citation - Toastmasters International [2021]

SAP SOAR Award - SAP Users Group [2020]

Program Director - MS Business Analytics - Flex and Online
The University of Texas at Dallas [2020–Present]
As the Program Director for the MS - Business Analytics Programs (Flex and Online), I m responsible for the academic and non-academic aspects of the program viz. student recruitment, policy development, curriculum development, academic assessment, industry engagement and other aspects that is related to the program directly or indirectly. Key responsibilities Recruitment of students, placement assistance for Internships and fulltime roles, through bi-weekly webinars, conference events, etc. Responsible for conduction academic assessments, revising course catalog, introduction of new courses and tracks. I supervise departmental teaching assistants to ensure assigned duties are being performed. Promote the information systems and business analytics programs both internally and externally, participate in student activities, and perform other administrative duties as required. Use tools like Tableau and Salesforce to drive the outreach to recruit new students and also create short terms and long term goals for the program.

Assistant Professor of Instruction
The University of Texas at Dallas [2020–Present]
Teaching Undergraduate/Graduate courses related to business intelligence, database fundamentals, analytics, data warehousing and Management/Strategy/Technology/Digital Consulting. Courses that I teach currently -  MIS 6349 Digital Consulting Project BUAN 6385 Robotic Process Automation ITSS 4351 Foundations of Business Intelligence

Senior Lecturer I
The University of Texas at Dallas [2019–2020]
I am responsible for developing the Business Intelligence and Analytics track for the Undergraduate Programs at UT Dallas. I also simultaneously manage the Graduate Information Systems Program.   Key responsibilities Teaching Undergraduate/Graduate courses related to business intelligence, database fundamentals, analytics, data warehousing and Management/Strategy/Technology/Digital Consulting. As an instructional practitioner, I also supervise departmental teaching assistants to ensure assigned duties are being performed. Promote the information systems and business analytics programs both internally and externally, participate in student activities, and perform other administrative duties as required. Use tools like Tableau and Salesforce to drive the outreach to recruit new students and also create short terms and long term goals for the program. Conduct Academic Assessments to ensure the quality of the curriculum.

Program Manager
The University of Texas at Dallas [2017–2020]
My skills as a Technical Practitioner with experience from the IT industry and as an alum of the program gave me the opportunity to develop the Graduate Program in Information Technology and Management. Key responsibilities Responsible for managing one of the largest Information Systems programs, which has close to 750 students enrolled in it. Responsible for mentoring and guiding students for their academic and professional goals Advisor for 5 Student Organizations, including the Toastmasters and ENACTUS chapters. Responsible for creating new strategies to grow the program academically and also thicken the connect with the industry, whose involvement is highly ingrained. Use tools like Tableau and Salesforce to drive the outreach to recruit new students and also create short terms and long term goals for the program.

Lecturer I
The University of Texas at Dallas [2017–2019]
Taught the following courses, starting Spring 2017, to both Graduate and Undergraduate students 1. ITSS 4351 - Foundations of Business Intelligence 2. MIS 6309 - Business DataWarehousing

Presentations for the year 2021

2021/01–2021/12

•  February 5, 2021: Workshop by Sharda University, India – Linkedin: A Career Enhancement Tool 
• April 10, 2021: Battle of the Brains, CS Outreach UTD - Programming in Business Environment 
• April 17, 2021: Tedx Conference, UT Dallas – EQ: The Wonders your mind can do 
• May 27, 2021: CS Outreach UTD - The Low Code Movement – Changing the trajectory of the industry 
• June 9-10, 2021: Keynote speech at ICIRMEEE 2021, AMET University, India – AI/ML in Maritime Industry 
• June 17, 2021: Workshop by Sharda University, India – Tableau for Data Analysis and Visualization 
• July 12-24, 2021: Future Leaders Program (ECLAT Foundation), UT Dallas – Session Leader/Faculty for multiple sessions 
• July 12-13, 2021: Summer Camp for Biology Transfer Students, UT Dallas – Tableau Workshop 
• July 28, 2021: MIS Quarterly, Chair, Panel Discussion, AIS – Curation on IT Project Management 
• August 10, 2021: Session Chair on IT Project Management – AMCIS 2021 
• September 9, 2021: Keynote, iTSMFUSA - Employability with ITIL4 – The new trends in the Industry 
• September 17, 2021: Panelist, Tech Titans - Panel by Tech Titans on Low Code by Appian, UTD, KPMG 
• September 30, 2021: Workshop, NIET, India – Data Visualization and Business Intelligence for Business Application with Tableau 
• October 23, 2021: CS Outreach UTD – Future of AI, ML and DL 
• October 30, 2021: Judge – QS 2021 ReImagine World Cup 
• November 14, 2021: Speaker, District 50 Toastmasters Conclave 2021  – The Chaos with Leadership: Breaking the Barriers 
• December 2, 2021: Panelist, International Forum of the 13th Public Governance Conference, National Chung Hsing University - Enlightened State of Mind for Public Governance in the Post-COVID-19 Era — What have we learned and will do differently to build a more sustainable future? 
• December 5, 2021: Moderator, Panel Discussion – District 50 Toastmasters: The Role of Area Director & Division Director 

Presentations for the year 2020

2020/01–2020/12

• March 5-6, 2020: ITIL Training and Certification for the IT Leaders at UT Southwestern 
• March 26, 2020: Workshop on Digital Storytelling using Tableau for CS Outreach, UT Dallas 
• March 27, 2020: Motivational Talk at Keste Inc –Are you really locked down? 
• May 6, 2020: Panelist on webinar by CAN – Opportunities do not happen, you create them 
• May 19, 2020: Workshop on Digital Storytelling using Tableau for CS Outreach, UT Dallas 
• May 26-28, 2020: Presented the engagement opportunities available at UT Dallas, to the consortium of CIOs, hosted by Technology Ball. 
• June 3, 2020: Moderated Panel, jointly hosted by Goldman Sachs and UTD for International students 
• June 16, 2020: Trained 1500+ teaches of the Central Board of Secondary Education, India on topics related to AI/Data Analytics 
• June 27, 2020: Leadership training for officers from 200+ Toastmasters Clubs. 
• MKT 4337 – Marketing Analytics – Invited to conduct sessions on Tableau, January/August 2020 
• ITSS 3300 – Invited to talk about Digital Storytelling (July 2019) 
• August 9, 2020: Panelist on Educational Prospects for High School students, organized by Kammvar Association of North America 
• October 29, 2020: Communication workshop for Graduate Finance program, UT Dallas 
• November 14, 2020: Leadership session at District 50 Toastmasters’ Conference – The Chaos in Leadership: Breaking the barriers 
• December 15, 2020: Open Mic at INFORMS – MAPD 2020 - Impact of new CIP code/DHS STEM designation on Business Analytics Programs 
• December 16, 2020: Trained 100+ students and faculty from AMET University Chennai on the Role of AI in Maritime Industry 

Presentations for the year 2019

2019/08–2019/12

• August 2019 – Keynote at Keste Inc – NEMO: Never Ever Miss Opportunities 
• September 2019 – Growing as a Leader, Mentor Select (Podcast) 

Appian Partnership with The University of Texas at Dallas Gives Students a Boost Toward Low-Code Career Success

 Low-Code Intelligent Automation class sees 100% job placement for graduating students; enrollment nearly triples for second semester 

International student enrollment increases at UT-Dallas

 Approximately 2,247 new international students are enrolled at UT Dallas for fall 2021. The number is slightly less than the record 2,389 new international students who enrolled in fall 2016. There are more than 4,900 total international students currently enrolled. 

ITIL 4 at The University of Texas at Dallas

 For us at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), success is when someone says I can’t do something and we help them to do that thing and build a career based on those skills.For example, if someone has the ambition to become a CEO then it’s about giving them the resources, mentors and the right skill sets that make the difference.

And this is why at the Jindal School I teach ITIL® 4 alongside our core curriculum. 

University of Texas at Dallas Prepares Students for the Low-Code Future

 The University of Texas at Dallas is an education and research powerhouse. The Carnegie Commission on Higher Education designated UTD an "R1" doctoral-granting university of the highest research activity. Faculty, including a Nobel laureate and members of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering, deliver top-ranked programs in business, engineering, science, the arts, and technology. UTD has been named a "Best Value College" byThe Princeton Review for 7 years. 

Faculty Advisor for Student Organizations at UT Dallas

•  Indian Students Association 
• Envision UTD 
• Enactus UTD 
• Marketing Analytics Club 
• University Toastmasters of Dallas 
• TechPact
• Data Science Club
• Big Data Club 

Leadership Positions - Toastmasters International

• Recipient of the Presidential Citation - 2021
• Chair - District Leadership Committee 2021-2022
• District Director 2019-2020
• Program Quality Director 2018-2019 (Received "Excellence in Program Quality")
• Club Growth Director 2017-2018 (Received "Excellence in Club Growth")
• Division Director of the Year 2016-17
• Key Area Director of the Year 2015-16
• World Record Holder in 2015-16 for 36 Education Awards in One Year
• Served on several District executive committees.

Association of Information Systems

• President of Special Interest Group on IT Project Management (SIGITProjMgmt) 2020-2022
• Secretary of Special Interest Group on IT Project Management (SIGITProjMgmt) 2018-2019
• Minitrack Chair (General Track in IT Project Management) - AMCIS 2017 - present
• Minitrack Chair (Edtech and Emerging Technologies) - HICCS 2022 - present
• Conference Chair - MIS Academic Leadership Conference 2019

Committees at UT Dallas

• University Safety and Security Council (Chair, 2021-2023)
• JSOM* Cohort Scholarship Committee
• JSOM Graduate Admissions Committee
• JSOM Assessment Committee
• JSOM IT Committee
• JSOM Masters Program Committee

*JSOM - Jindal School of Management

Board Member

US-India Chamber of Commerce (2022 - present)

The US India Chamber of Commerce DFW is a Dallas-Fort Worth based 501(c)(6) organization whose mission is to support professional, business, and economic development throughout North Texas and facilitate bi-lateral trade with India.
The Chamber consists of businesses and professional members who are interested in engaging with the Indian-American professional and business community in North Texas and/or interested in bilateral trade and business between Texas and India. 

Toastmasters International

2013/10
 Toastmasters International is a non-profit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs. Headquartered in Englewood, Colo., the organization's membership exceeds 358,000 in more than 16,800 clubs in 143 countries. Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped people from diverse backgrounds become more confident speakers, communicators, and leaders. 
I have held the following positions in the organization 

• Chair - District Leadership Committee - July 2021 - June 2022
• Past District Director - July 2021 - Present
• Immediate Past District Director - July 2020 - June 2021
• District Director - July 2019- June 2020
• Program Quality Director - July 2018- June 2019
• Club Growth Director - July 2017- June 2018
• Division Director - July 2016 - June 2017
• Area Director - July 2015 - June 2016
• Club Officer - Since Jan 2014

Project Management Institute

2015/02
 As the world’s leading authority on project management, PMI empowers people to make ideas a reality. Through global advocacy, networking, collaboration, research, and education, PMI prepares organizations and individuals at every stage of their career journey to work smarter so they can drive success in a world of change. 
Building on a proud legacy dating to 1969, PMI is a “for-purpose” organization working in nearly every country around the world to advance careers, strengthen organizational success, and enable changemakers with new skills and ways of working to maximize their impact. PMI offerings include globally recognized standards, certifications, online courses, thought leadership, tools, digital publications, and communities. 

Association of Information Systems

2017/01
 The Association for Information Systems (AIS) serves society through the advancement of knowledge and the promotion of excellence in the practice and study of information systems. AIS is the premier professional association for individuals and organizations who lead the research, teaching, practice, and study of information systems worldwide. 
Served in the following capacity 

President, Special Interest Group - IT Project Management - December 2020 - present
Secretary, Special Interest Group - IT Project Management - December 2018 - January 2020 

INFORMS

2020/12
 With over 12,500 members from around the globe, INFORMS is the leading international association for professionals in operations research, analytics, management science, economics, behavioral science, statistics, artificial intelligence, data science, applied mathematics, and other relevant fields. 
INFORMS promotes best practices and advances in operations research, management science, and analytics to improve operational processes, decision-making, and outcomes through an array of highly-cited publications, conferences, competitions, networking communities, and professional development services. 

The Association of College and University Educators

2021/06–2022/03
Certificate in Effective InstructionAssociation of College and University Educators - 2022

This certificate signifies my completion of a 25-module course in effective teaching practices requiring the implementation of evidence-based instructional approaches. The credential is co-issued by the American Council on Education and distinguishes faculty for their commitment to educational excellence and student success. 

Chartered Association of Business Schools

2022/03–2023/03
Certified Management & Business Educator

The Certified Management & Business Educator (CMBE) scheme supports educators to further develop their teaching practice and helps to advance the quality of business and management education in higher education.

The scheme has been developed in response to increasing pressure on universities, from students and government regulation, to demonstrate and develop teaching excellence. It will also address the issue of there being no requirement on university educators to continuously develop their practice.

The scheme and the CMBE designation are intended to continually raise the standards of teaching and learning in the fields of business and management, and to instil confidence in employers, students and other stakeholders of business educators.

The scheme is for those who teach, or lead learning and teaching activities. This includes educators in the fields of economics, accounting and finance, as well as those delivering business and management education in other schools such as engineering.