Krishnan Honored with IIT Madras Distinguished Alumnus Award
By Michael Cunningham
Ramayya Krishnan
Ramayya Krishnan, dean of the Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, and the William W. and Ruth F. Cooper Professor of Management Science and Information Systems at Carnegie Mellon University, is a 2017 recipient of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) Distinguished Alumnus Award.
IIT-Madras will present the award to Krishnan and his fellow honorees at a March 16 ceremony in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
"Professor Ramayya Krishnan joins an illustrious group of Distinguished Alumni of IIT Madras who are academicians," said Professor Bhaskar Ramamurthi, director of IIT Madras. "Professor Krishnan is renowned for his seminal contributions to the field of Information Systems, and has made his alma mater proud with his accomplishments as dean of the College for Information Systems at CMU."
The Distinguished Alumnus awards are presented annually by the institute. Since their inception in 1996, 147 alumni have been selected for the award, including CMU President Subra Suresh.
"I am proud to represent my alma mater in all that I do, and humbled that the Institute has honored me with this award," Krishnan said. "I look forward to visiting campus and having an opportunity to catch up and share stories with my fellow alumni honorees."
Krishnan received his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from IIT Madras in 1981, and his master's degree and Ph.D. from the University of Texas in 1983 and 1987, respectively.
A faculty member at CMU since 1988, Krishnan was appointed dean when the Heinz College was created in 2008. He was reappointed in 2014.
As dean, Krishnan oversaw the creation of the School of Information Systems and Management at Heinz College, complementing the existing School of Public Policy and Management. This confluence of information technology, public policy and management brings together a multidisciplinary faculty consisting of engineers, social scientists and information technologists dedicated to educating "men and women of intelligent action."
Krishnan led the establishment of funded research centers focused on data-driven decision-making in key societal domains, including transportation, smart cities, living analytics, the innovation of risk and regulatory services Innovation, and the future of work. He also led a successful fundraising campaign that is transforming the learning spaces, classrooms, offices and labs in Hamburg Hall, home of the Heinz College.
In 2016, under Krishnan's leadership, INFORMS, the global Operations Research and Management Science Society, recognized the Heinz College with the UPS George D. Smith Prize for Educational Excellence in Analytics. The Heinz College is the only academic institution that is home to both the Von Neumann Theory Prize and the UPS George D. Smith Prize.
Krishnan has compiled an outstanding research record in operations research and management science and its applications to information systems. His contributions have been recognized by INFORMS through its fellow Award, and in 2015, he was conferred with the Y. Nayudamma Award for his contributions to information technology and telecommunications management. He has been president of INFORMS Computing Society and INFORMS Information Systems Society, and has edited premier journals in the fields of operations research, management science, and information science research.
Krishnan has a worldwide reputation for his expertise in data sciences, with many papers and book chapters to his credit. He was invited to speak on data analytics at the World Economic Forum in 2011. As U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton appointed him to serve as a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) expert to the U.S. Delegation to APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Consortium) in 2012. In September 2014, he provided a briefing on "big data" to the 10 ICT Ministers of ASEAN. He is a former member of the Global Agenda Council on Data Driven Development at the World Economic Forum. Currently, he works on the IT and Services Advisory Board chaired by Governor Tom Wolf of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.