Ivey’s PhD Program in Business Administration is a full-time research-based program designed to develop scholars and to place graduates at high-quality research universities around the world. Our PhD candidates are showcased at conferences around the world, and regularly featured in top-tier academic and industry publications.
To help you get to know them, we’ve asked them about their academic and personal interests.
Q&A with Vikash Kumar, PhD candidate
What is your background?
I was born and completed my schooling in a city called Muzaffarpur, in the eastern part of India. I completed my undergraduate degree in engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, BHU, Varanasi. After finishing my studies, I joined India’s largest public steel manufacturing company and worked in various roles starting as frontline manager leading shopfloor operations, then moving up to corporate manager where I was involved in strategic expansion and modernization projects. Later, I went on to complete my MBA from IE Business School, Madrid, Spain, where I spent time on exchange at Nanyang Business School, Singapore.
What attracted you to Ivey’s program?
Pursuing a PhD was a significant decision for me. I approached it with three key criteria in mind when I was selecting a program: first, alignment between my research interests and the school’s strengths – particularly in Operations Management; second, a program structure that fosters well-rounded growth as both a researcher and future faculty member; and third, a broader societal and cultural outlook that values research with real-world impact.
Ivey’s focus on sustainable operations offered a compelling platform to explore my growing interest in how large-scale industrial systems can transition toward more sustainable and responsible modes of operations. A meaningful moment was my conversation with Jury Gualandris, who generously helped me understand the program’s structure, research opportunities, and broader academic environment at Ivey. His insights – and the warmth in that exchange – gave me a strong sense of the School’s collaborative ethos and intellectual seriousness. Guidance from my mentors at IE Business School and Nanyang Business School further confirmed Ivey as the right place for my doctoral journey.
Lastly, Canada appealed to me not only for its rising prominence in North American supply chain strategy and innovation, but also for its inclusive academic and societal culture. It offers a welcoming and intellectually vibrant setting for researchers like me to grow, contribute, and belong.
What is your research focus?
My research examines operational and strategic challenges in electric vehicle ecosystem development, focusing on how charging infrastructure deployment, supply chains, and consumer adoption interact to shape economic and environmental outcomes. I study how charging operators, automakers, utilities, consumers, and policymakers make interdependent decisions that either accelerate or impede sustainable transportation transitions.
My work addresses a core question: how can we design EV systems where commercial viability and climate impact reinforce each other? This leads me to investigate production (battery manufacturing and supply chain resilience), distribution (infrastructure deployment and grid integration), and adoption (consumer behavior and policy effectiveness).
Methodologically, I employ game-theoretic models to analyze strategic interactions in infrastructure investment, behavioural experiments to test consumer responses to charging availability and policy incentives, and empirical models using field data to quantify adoption barriers and utilization patterns. These approaches generate actionable insights for accelerating sustainable transportation under policy uncertainty, capital constraints, and competing stakeholder objectives.
Why is that area appealing to you? What big problems/issues need to be addressed?
This area appeals to me because it deals with high-stakes questions: How can industries transform in response to climate urgency? How do everyday decisions, whether by managers or consumers, add up to shape the future? I’m drawn to the tensions between innovation and constraint, between what is profitable and what is right, and how those tensions are resolved in practice.
We face systemic challenges – environmental degradation, resource scarcity, and behavioral inertia – that cannot be solved by optimizing within old frameworks. They require new ways of thinking, grounded in interdisciplinary understanding and a willingness to confront uncomfortable trade-offs. Research in this space is not just about improving operations – it is about reimagining them.
How do you see your research making an impact?
I see research as a way to connect insight with action, to translate complexity into clarity, and clarity into better decisions. Impact, to me, is not only measured by citations or publications, but by whether the work changes how people think, design, and choose.
My research aspires to bridge the worlds of scholarship and practice – helping businesses make more sustainable strategic choices, informing smarter policy, and ultimately contributing to systems that are more adaptive, just, and enduring. If it nudges decision-makers to account for the long-term, or empowers consumers to act on their values, then it has done its part.
How do you see research as an aid to business improvement?
I see research as the discipline of thoughtful questioning. Businesses often operate at the speed of urgency – decisions must be made quickly, under uncertainty, and with competing priorities. Research offers a space to pause, to examine assumptions, and to uncover the patterns that lie beneath the noise.
Done well, research doesn’t just solve problems – it reshapes how problems are framed. It can guide businesses to ask better questions, to see unintended consequences, and to imagine alternatives they hadn’t considered. In that sense, research is not just a mirror to reflect reality but a lens that refracts it, revealing possibilities for improvement that may not be visible otherwise.
If my work contributes even a small part to helping organizations align economic goals with societal good, I will consider it meaningful.
What previous experience prepared you for this?
My path to research has been shaped by an evolving journey through industry, academia, and cultural contexts. Working in one of the most polluting industries in roles ranging from operations, project management, and strategy, exposed me to the real-world complexity of decision-making – where goals like efficiency, compliance, and sustainability often pull in different directions.
Further, coming from a society navigating rapid growth and pressing developmental needs, I gained an appreciation for the layered priorities that influence operational choices. Later, my academic training across global institutions introduced me to very different narratives around sustainability – ranging from principled commitment to performative signaling. This contrast deepened my understanding of how context shapes both policy and practice.
Through these experiences, I’ve developed the practical insight, contextual sensitivity, and analytical tools needed to ask meaningful questions about operations – not just as systems to optimize, but as levers for sustainable and context-aware change.
Where did you grow up and what was it like there?
I grew up in a small city in eastern India, largely shaped by its agrarian roots. Life there was modest but deeply grounded, and I was surrounded by people who embodied resilience and placed immense value on education. Knowledge was celebrated – not just as a means to success, but as a way of life.
That environment quietly shaped me into an inquisitive learner. I don’t recall when it started, but the culture of open dialogue, debate, and questioning around me made learning feel natural. School encouraged us to challenge ideas – not to win arguments, but to understand better.
Looking back, I see how that place didn’t just give me a childhood – it gave me the mindset that even now drives my curiosity and my research.
Who have been your strongest influences in life?
My strongest influences have been my parents and teachers. My parents made extraordinary sacrifices to ensure I had access to good education. They moved cities twice, so my siblings and I could learn in better environments. Each move meant starting over, professionally and personally, but they never wavered. Their perseverance and belief in the power of learning taught me that education is not just a goal – it’s a commitment worth rebuilding your life around.
My teachers walked beside me throughout that journey. They taught me not just concepts, but how to think – how to break down complexity, how to see patterns, and most importantly, how to ask the right questions. They gave me knowledge, yes, but also the art of inquiry, and for that, I will always be deeply indebted to them.
What might someone be surprised to know about you?
Probably nothing – and that might be the surprise! I’m incredibly predictable. If you’ve seen me once with a book, a quiet cup of coffee at my workstation, or with a badminton racquet at court, you’ve basically seen the full range of who I am. I don’t have hidden talents or dramatic backstories – I’m just someone who likes patterns, calm, and long conversations.
What is the most played song on your playlist as of now?
I wouldn’t call myself a very musical person, but when I do choose something to listen to, I’m drawn to Indian classical instrumental music – especially the sitar. There’s something incredibly grounding and rejuvenating about it. Pandit Ravi Shankar’s compositions are a personal favorite; his music has this timeless ability to quiet the mind and open space for reflection.
That said, I should confess – most of the time, my playlist is lovingly hijacked by my daughter or my spouse. So, my ears are as likely to hear animated movie soundtracks or trending playlists as they are classical ragas. It's a joyful compromise, and I’ve learned to enjoy the unpredictability.
What is your best podcast recommendation?
I usually gravitate toward podcasts that help me stay connected with the evolving landscape of climate policy and sustainability, especially as it relates to my research. I regularly listen to Harvard Business School’s Climate Rising and Bloomberg’s Zero: The Climate Race – both of which offer sharp insights into the latest developments, challenges, and innovations in climate action and the energy transition.
Occasionally, I also venture into other interests. NASA’s Curious Universe is a personal favorite – an incredibly engaging podcast for anyone fascinated by astronomy and the mysteries of space. It’s like a gentle reminder of how vast and interconnected everything is. And for those who enjoy unpacking economic policy with nuance, I highly recommend Macro Musings with David Beckworth. It’s thoughtful, timely, and recently published a great episode on the economic implications of “The Big Beautiful Bill.”
What book would you recommend to others? Why?
I would recommend The Story of My Experiments with Truth by Mahatma Gandhi. It’s more than an autobiography – it’s a deeply honest account of a life spent questioning, learning, and evolving. What resonates with me is Gandhi’s willingness to treat his own life as an open experiment – to embrace imperfection, to learn from failure, and to stay grounded in principle while navigating real-world complexities.
For anyone trying to balance personal values with public action, or ideals with practical constraints, this book offers timeless insight.
