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Sunil Chopra, one of the most distinguished business professors in America and the co-author of the award-winning book The Supply Chain Management, has been named interim dean of Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. He is currently the senior associate dean for curriculum. Dipak Jain is stepping down in September after 8 years as dean at Kellog.
An alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, the forty-eight year old Chopra came to Kellogg 10 years ago and went on to win many awards for teaching. The Supply Chain Management written with Peter Meindl, has had three editions and was awarded the best book of the year for 2002 by the Institute of Industrial Engineers.
He acts as a consultant to leading American firms like Boise Cascade Office Products, GE Capital, W.W. Grainger, Motorola, Intel, and Sara Lee.
The IBM Distinguished Professor of Operations Management at Kellogg, Chopra's appointment as interim dean is effective September 1, the school said.
"Sunil brings a deep understanding of the school, an outstanding record of scholarship and significant administrative experience," Provost Daniel Linzer said in a statement. "We will soon begin a national search for a successor to Dean Dipak Jain, who will step down on September 1. I am confident that Kellogg will continue to flourish under Sunil's leadership as interim dean while we conduct the search."
Chopra has been departmental editor for the journal Management Science and an associate editor for the Decision Sciences Journal, Manufacturing & Service Operations Management and Operations Research. His recent research has focused on risk management in supply chains, Kellogg said in a press release.
He has also studied distribution systems in a various companies trying to identify market, manufacturing, and product characteristics that drive the structure of a supply chain.
"Kellogg has a strong commitment to excellence based on its culture of collaboration and innovation among its faculty, students, alumni and staff," Chopra said in a statement.
"I look forward to building on this vibrant environment where we partner with our students to develop global leaders who make contributions of lasting significance and faculty continue to do path breaking research and develop new pedagogy."
Chopra has been senior associate dean for curriculum and teaching since August 2006. In that position, he is responsible for planning the curriculum, teaching needs and other student activities for the full-time, part-time and executive MBA programs.
Chopra was an assistant professor at the Stern School of Business Administration at New York University before going to Kellogg. He has a Ph.D in operations research from SUNY Stony Brook.
Image: Cover of The Supply Chain Management. Inset: Sunil Chopra.