Professor Sanjay Emani Sarma has been appointed to serve as the next Chief Executive Officer, President and Dean of the Asia School of Business.
Professor Sarma is the Fred Fort Flowers (1941) and Daniel Fort Flowers (1941) Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Professor Sarma is a well-respected academic leader, administrator, researcher, and mentor at MIT. Professor Sarma is globally recognized as an authority on digital and open learning.
He joined the MIT faculty in 1996, becoming a full professor in 2010. He spearheaded MIT’s Open Learning which he led as Director, Dean and Vice President from 2012. Open Learning houses MIT’s online courses and programs, including MIT OpenCourseWare, MITx, MIT xPRO, Bootcamps, and Horizon, as well digital learning innovation and research efforts, and reaches millions of learners around the world.
He also co-created the MITx MicroMasters™ Programs, which allow working professionals to pursue Master’s level courses online to accelerate progress toward an advanced degree, which has garnered 1.3 million unique enrolments.
While he was the Vice President for Open Learning, Professor Sarma published, Grasp: The Science Transforming How We Learn with Luke Yoquinto; and Workforce Education: A New Roadmap with Bill Bonvillian.
Over the course of his academic career, Professor Sarma has earned numerous accolades as a leading scholar, industry pioneer, and educational innovator. His work beyond academia has involved entrepreneurship endeavours, organizational innovations, standards bodies, IP law, and advising governments on national policies. Professor Sarma is credited with helping establish the standards for modern UHF RFID (radio frequency ID), laying the groundwork for commercial RFID and doing seminal work in the Internet of Things.
He has authored over 100 academic papers in computational geometry, sensing, RFID, automation, and computer-aided design (CAD). Professor Sarma is the recipient of numerous awards for teaching and research.
Professor Sarma holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley; a Masters in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon; and a Bachelor’s in Technology from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.
During the search period, ASB was privileged to have the executive oversight and support of Professor Jacob Cohen from MIT Sloan, who has served since 1 July 2022 as Interim Chief Executive, President and Dean. Under his leadership, ASB has continued to deliver its management degree programs, and executive education and research activities. Notably, Professor Cohen also oversaw the redesign of ASB’s new 1-year MBA program.
His commitment and leadership during this transition period is strongly indicative of ASB and MIT Sloan’s enduring collaboration. We wish Professor Cohen the very best as he continues in his role as Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate and Master’s Programs at MIT Sloan, and look forward to his continuing engagements with ASB.
As an educator of global caliber, Professor Sarma will be a tremendous asset to the School and will chart new pathways for ASB in becoming the envisioned premier school of business that contributes to the development of principled and transformative leaders in Asia and beyond. The ASB Board of Governors and Board of Directors look forward to working closely with Professor Sarma to take ASB to greater heights.