Dr. Varghese Jacob
- Professor of Information Systems
- Lars Magnus Ericsson Chair
Ericsson Inc. created the chair in June 2010 and Jacob assumed the position in September 2011. The chair is designed to support the research and scholarly activities of the holder in the Naveen Jindal School of Management.
“The move to UT Dallas is one of the best decisions that I have made, and I’ve been fortunate to be a part of the progress that we’ve seen in the Naveen Jindal School of Management. To me, being involved in the change process has probably been one of the most satisfying aspects of my career so far.”
Since Dr. Varghese Jacob arrived at UT Dallas in 1997, he has played an administrative role in the Naveen Jindal School of Management. He worked with faculty to obtain the school’s accreditation for the first time and its subsequent re-accreditation. Jacob has worked with the dean and faculty members to expand the school’s portfolio of offerings both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. That expansion and the school’s focus on quality and innovative programs has spurred robust enrollment growth.
Jacob said research in information systems is particularly exciting given the rapid change in information technology. His research topics include electronic commerce, artificial intelligence, software engineering, open source systems, decision support systems and data quality. “Research has a significant impact on teaching. If you don’t do research, you’re not up to speed with your area of expertise. Research brings innovation to the classroom, and signals to the students that you are current in your field.”
Jacob’s work has been published in a variety of publications, including articles in Management Science, Information Systems Research and International Journal of Man-Machine Studies, among many others. He is the co-editor-in chief of the journal, Information Technology and Management, and serves as an associate editor for Decision Support Systems. He also is an editorial board member of Information Systems Frontiers: A Journal of Research and Innovations.
Jacob has served as the chair of The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences Information Systems Society.
He earned his master of science degree in physics from the Indian Institute of Technology and his PhD in management with a concentration in management information systems from Purdue University.