PhD Program 40th Anniversary Alumni Profile: Meet Ujwal Kayande, ‘98

Forty years in, the Alberta School of Business PhD program continues to foster bold ideas, exceptional scholarship, and a global community of thought leaders. Ujwal Kayande, ‘98, is a prime example — now a professor of Marketing at Melbourne Business School, his career has spanned faculty positions at the University of New South Wales, Penn State University and the Australian National University, as well as visiting roles at the Wharton School, Indian School of Business, Mannheim Business School (Germany) and ESSEC (France). 

“I am most grateful to the University of Alberta for many reasons, foremost among them is that it gave me a scholarship to study for a PhD. I could not have otherwise afforded it,” says Kayande. He later secured the Killam PhD Scholarship, which, he says, “opened more avenues for me to fully indulge in all my intellectual curiosities.”

The encouragement he received played a pivotal role in shaping his interdisciplinary approach. “The faculty at the U of A were fabulous and so very encouraging. I was interested in both psychology and economics, so they were kind enough to say, ‘why don’t you do both, if you want to?’” 

Kayande became the first marketing PhD candidate to minor in Judgement and Decision Making — a path that integrated psychology, computer science, and economics, and laid the foundation for his future research.

Looking back on his journey here, Kayande talks about the lessons he learned, the faculty who inspired him, and the enduring impact of his time at the Alberta School of Business. 

How has the Alberta School of Business PhD program influenced your research and career?

It helped me build up an academic career that has involved looking to solve business problems through a multidisciplinary approach, rather than being siloed in one field. I have published across various academic domains and also set up a Centre for Business Analytics in collaboration with computer science colleagues. The emphasis on solving real-world business problems during my PhD has shaped my approach to research and industry collaboration. Today, I work closely with businesses as an advisor to global cosmetics company L’Oréal, T2 Tea — an iconic Australian tea retailer, data company Zetaris, and others.

What role has mentorship played in your career?

The faculty at U of A inspired me to think about the institution and how to help build it up. That inspiration led me to spend many years in leadership positions, the latest one as Dean of the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University. The trip back to Canada was full of gratitude to the people of Canada for funding my education and setting me up for a career that I have absolutely loved. 

I’d be remiss if I did not mention the warm friendships that I formed at the U of A with faculty, fellow students, staff at ASB, and across the university. I still fondly remember the warmth and care from the PhD office (thanks to the awesome Jeanette Gosine and Professor Bob Hinings), the International Student Office (thanks to the incredible Doug Weir), and all my beloved faculty members: Adam Finn, Terry Elrod, Peter Popkowski Leszczyc, Paul Messinger, Dave Jobson, and the late Mukesh Bhargava, Ric Johnson, and Gerald Haubl – all dear friends remembered with gratitude for how much they made me into the academic I am today.

What advice would you give to current or prospective PhD students?

My advice to PhD students is to join, and thrive in, a program where faculty take care of you, treat you not just as another PhD student but truly understand your unique interests, indulge your curiosities, and push you to be the best version of yourself. And that program is the Alberta School of Business PhD program. I am forever grateful for being a student in it. 

Meet more Alberta School of Business PhD alumni: Tulin Erdem ‘93 | Alan Webb ‘01 | Tyler Wry ‘12 | Olubunmi Faleye ‘02 | Kris Hoang, ‘13