Ohio State Names Aravind Chandrasekaran Dean of Fisher College of Business
October 30, 2026
Grace Swihart
Aravind Chandrasekaran, dean of the Max M. Fisher College of Business. Credit: Courtesy of The Ohio State University
Ohio State has named Aravind Chandrasekaran dean of the Max M. Fisher College of Business, pending Board of Trustees approval, according to a university release.
Chandrasekaran, who goes by AC, has led the college as interim dean since June 2025, according to the release. The appointment removes that interim title.
“AC has demonstrated a deep commitment to Fisher and a clear understanding of the role a great business college in Ohio can play,” Trevor Brown, interim executive vice president and provost, said in a statement provided to The Lantern. “During his time as interim dean, he has generated incredible excitement and momentum around a number of priorities that are positioning business students for personal and professional success.”
Chandrasekaran joined Ohio State in 2009 and has spent more than 15 years at Fisher as a faculty member and academic leader, according to the release. He will continue to hold the John W. Berry, Sr. Chair in Business.
Before becoming interim dean, he served as Fisher’s senior associate dean for faculty, research and non-degree executive education, according to his Fisher faculty profile. He also held positions as associate dean for graduate programs and executive education, overseeing programs including the Full-Time MBA, Working Professional MBA and Executive MBA, according to his profile. He helped build custom teaching and research programs for companies such as Tata Consultancy Services, Ford Motor Company and Zimmer.
Chandrasekaran earned a bachelor’s degree from the College of Engineering at Anna University in India, according to his profile. He holds a master’s degree in industrial engineering and a doctorate in business administration from the University of Minnesota.
He has co-authored two books, both published in 2023: “Business Data Ethics: Emerging Models for Governing AI and Advanced Analytics” and “Intervention Based Research in Operations Management,” according to his profile. His research has also appeared in journals including Management Science and Harvard Business Review.
In 2017, Poets&Quants named him one of the top 40 business school professors under 40, according to his profile. He was named Fisher Distinguished Professor in Operations and Business Analytics in 2021 and has received numerous teaching awards from the college.
“I’m honored to have the opportunity to lead Fisher into its next chapter, and I couldn’t be more optimistic about what’s ahead,” Chandrasekaran said in the university release.
Under his leadership, Fisher redesigned its undergraduate experience to introduce students to business courses earlier and connect classroom learning to real-world work. The redesign is built around the “Fisher Advantage,” a framework meant to produce graduates who are business experts, analytical problem-solvers, effective communicators, and resilient leaders. The college is also expanding workforce partnerships with companies locally, nationally, and globally.