Karthik Kannan, PhD

Karthik Kannan, PhD

Assistant Professor of IT and Operations Management, Cox School of Business

Dr. Karthik Babu Nattamai Kannan is an Assistant Professor of Information Technology and Operations Management at Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business. He examines Digital Economics and Artificial Intelligence (AI), with a focus on examining their transformative impact on society and enterprises.

In his first stream of research, Dr. Nattamai Kannan examines how digital technologies influence social and economic inequalities, with a particular emphasis on marginalized groups and underserved communities. His Management Science paper on the digital divide investigates whether improvements in mobile internet services, particularly access to unlimited data, can reduce digital inequality. The findings indicate that access to unlimited data disproportionately benefits disadvantaged households, leading to greater increases in educational and general data consumption compared to advantaged households. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) invited Dr. Nattamai Kannan to present and formally file this paper to inform FCC proceeding #23-199 on “Data Caps in Consumer Broadband Plans.” In another study, he explores the policy debate on screen time by investigating the limits to the adoption of Technology-Mediated Learning (TML). The research revealed that while TML in schools increased demand for non-digital learning products, the adoption of digital products remained stagnant. These findings contribute to policy discussions about balancing digital and non-digital learning in education, with implications for managing screen time and supporting diverse learning needs. Dr. Nattamai Kannan has also contributed to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s initiatives by evaluating grant proposals for the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program and the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program. These programs, part of the federal government’s broadband infrastructure plan, aim to bring high-speed internet to rural and underserved areas.

At the enterprise level, Dr. Kannan explores how business leaders can leverage AI and analytics to optimize operations and enhance decision-making. In ongoing projects, he examines the use of generative AI tools in software development, focusing on how these tools affect productivity and long-term software quality. He served as a Donna Wilhelm Research Fellow at SMU DataArts, where he studied the impact of digitization and AI/ML in the U.S. cultural sector that directly related to policy priorities of the National Endowment for the Arts. Additionally, Dr. Kannan received a grant from the Marketing Science Institute to support his research on the effect of Work-from-home (remote work) on the demand for in-person performances in the non-profit cultural industry. His diverse research interests reflect a commitment to advancing both the theoretical and practical applications of digital technologies across various sectors of society.

Dr. Nattamai Kannan has been recognized for his contributions to research and teaching with several prestigious awards. For excellence in teaching, he received the C. Jackson Grayson Endowed Faculty Innovation Award from the Cox School of Business and was nominated by students for the “Honoring Our Professors’ Excellence” award in 2023.

Dr. Nattamai Kannan holds a Ph.D. in Information Technology Management from the Scheller College of Business, Georgia Institute of Technology. Before transitioning to academia, Dr. Kannan provided technology consulting for Fortune 500 companies including GE, The Home Depot, Johnson & Johnson, and Citigroup. He has hands-on expertise in enterprise software development, having worked across the full Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) – from coding and system design to serving as an architect and manager. He is also a Sun Certified Java Programmer and is proficient in Python, R, and a wide range of data science tools, including big data technologies, further underscoring his technical expertise. This diverse experience honed his expertise in the strategic use of information technology within enterprises and its potential to drive organizational efficiency and societal improvement.

Employment

  • Southern Methodist University, Cox School of Business
    • Assistant Professor of IT and Operations Management: 08/2019 - current
    • Instructor of IT and Operations Management: 08/2018 - 07/2019
  • Tata Consultancy Services: 06/2002 - 12/2011
    • Consulting: Telecom companies in the USA, The Home Depot, Johnson and Johnson, GE, Citigroup

Education

  • Scheller College of Business, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
    • Ph.D. in Information Technology Management: August 2018
    • Thesis Committee: Sridhar Narasimhan (co-chair), Yu Jeffrey Hu (co-chair), Eric Overby, Saby Mitra, Chris Forman
  • College of Engineering, Guindy - Anna University, Chennai, India
    • Bachelor of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering: July 2002

Affiliations

  • Southern Methodist University, Cox School of Business
    • Faculty Affiliate, Data Science Institute (DSI): 08/2023 - current
    • Faculty Affiliate, Center for Scientific Computation (CRC): 08/2019 - 08/2023
    • Donna Wilhelm Research Fellow - SMU DataArts: 11/2019 - 05/2023
    • Maneframe III planning committee, CRC: 04/2022 - 06/2022
  • IEEE
    • Senior Member: 08/2024 - current
  • National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)
    • Merit Reviewer: 10/2021 - 03/2022