10 things you don’t know about Dr. B

Sridhar Balasubramanian (aka “Dr. B”)

We don’t mean to brag, but our professors are pretty cool.

Sridhar Balasubramanian is professor of marketing and the Roy and Alice H. Richards Bicentennial Distinguished Scholar and professor of marketing. He is the former senior associate dean of MBA Programs, a widely published and cited researcher, and an award-winning teacher,

But to us, he’s known simply as “Dr. B” – a die-hard Tar Heel dedicated to making the UNC Kenan-Flagler experience the best it can be. Get to know the person behind the professor with these fun facts shared by Dr. B.

10 things you don’t know about Dr. B.

10) I have stayed at school beyond 10 p.m. meeting with students who drop by with questions about the case due the next day. Sometimes we’ll end up sitting in a big circle on the floor outside of my office having an impromptu roundtable. I’m back at school by 8 a.m. the next day!

9) I speak five languages: English, Hindi, Tamil, French and Konkani.

8) My second cousin, Vishy Anand, is the former world chess champion. I played him once many years ago and he beat me in just a few moves. At some point he said I was just “lost” and I did not argue with him further.

7) I’ve always wanted to be a professor. I truly enjoy doing research and it is a privilege to help shape young minds.

6) I have taught on every continent except Antarctica and Australia.

5) I grew up in Goa, the only part of India that was ruled by the Portuguese, and first came to the United States in 1992 to get my PhD at Yale.

4) When my wife Lakshmi and I were married, there was an elephant at the ceremonies.

3) When I’m not at work, you can find me taking our kids – our son, Karthik and our daughter, Meenakshi (we call her Meenu) – to tae kwon do and ballet or hiking in state parks.

2) One of the joys of my day is when I arrive home and Meenu greets me at the door with a big hug after a long day’s work, saying “Welcome home, Dr. B!”

1) I love UNC Kenan-Flagler because there is a wonderful, close-knit community and a great sense of belonging within the school and the university. My colleagues are great collaborators and partners. Our faculty, students and staff make up a great multicultural community rooted in the fine traditions of North Carolina: hospitality, kindness, grace and Southern charm. We truly live our core values of excellence, leadership, integrity, community and teamwork.