Dr. Balaji M has served academia and the industry for over 17 years. After completing his post-graduate degree in Manufacturing Engineering – where he earned a distinction, he did his PhD in perishable food supply chain management at IIT Madras. Being a knowledge facilitator, he is an avid learner himself, and continuously upgrades his knowledge in the fields of Operations Management, World Class Manufacturing Practices, Decision analysis tools & techniques, Logistics, Materials and Supply chain management. He incorporates innovative and cutting-edge pedagogical tools to impart education to Management Post-graduate students, always keeping things engaging and stimulating.His areas of research interest include Food Supply Chains, Lean Manufacturing, Sustainability and Supply Chain Management. In his quest to enhance the skills of professionals, he has conducted numerous Executive Development Programmes. The beneficiaries of his training include employees of organizations like Southern Petrochemical Industries Corporation (SPIC), India Post, Tamil Nadu Government Schools, Hitech Arai, TVS Tyres, TVS Rubber, Hindustan Petroleum and Apollo Hospitals. Additionally, he provided expert consultancy services to Hitech Arai and Loyal textiles. A Six Sigma Green Belt certified professional, he holds memberships and fellowships in prestigious organizations like Institution of Engineers, India, Quality Circle Forum of India and Indian Society of Technical Education. At present, he is in the process of completing the final stage of the Cost & Management Accountant (CMA) program from the Institute of Cost Accountants of India. His research papers, in the area of his expertise, have been published in numerous scopus-indexed journals. He is a much sought after speaker at several international conferences where he has presented his work and held interactive sessions.