Redmond professor earns Distinguished Teaching Award: Dr. Balakrishnan to be honored Thursday

Published 12:34 pm Monday, June 6, 2011

Redmond resident P.V. (Sundar) Balakrishnan has been named recipient of the University of Washington (UW) 2011 Distinguished Teaching Award.

The award will be presented Thursday at a formal ceremony hosted by UW Interim President Phyllis Wise.

Balakrishnan is a professor of marketing and founding faculty member of the UW Bothell Business Program. Since joining the UW Bothell faculty in 1994, he has taught over a dozen different courses in marketing and operations management. He has a Ph.D. from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania; a graduate degree from the University of Texas at Arlington; and an undergraduate degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi.

Balakrishnan served as acting director of the business administration program from 1998 to 2000.

“It is truly an honor to be recognized by a distinguished group of faculty for something so important to all of us,” Balakrishnan said. “I am always inspired by how magnificently the students rise to my high expectations. The classroom is like a crucible, from which emerges something almost magical – an exhilarating alchemy that is the product of the students’ hard work.”

In addition to teaching and mentorship, Balakrishnan is a distinguished researcher and professional reviewer. Balakrishnan has done seminal research in new product marketing and negotiations. He has co-authored pioneering research in the application of artificial intelligence methodologies to marketing, and has developed models that use neural network theory and genetic algorithms to address practical marketing problems.

For more about the award, visit www.washington.edu/facultystaff/awards.