Sumati Ahuja

Dr. Sumati Ahuja is an Associate Professor in the Management Discipline Group at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Business School, with appointments as Program Director of the Digital Creative Enterprise major and Senior Research Advisor at the Design Innovation Research Centre. Her career spans over 25 years in industry and 10 years in academia, blending architectural practice, education, and research. She holds a PhD examining the future of expert work.

Her research focuses on technology-driven changes in professional work, design-led innovation, and the emotional impacts of workplace transformations. Key areas include gender dynamics in architecture firms, AI's influence on professional identity, and boredom's role in organizational life. Her work appears in top journals like Journal of Management Studies and Organization, and she has received awards including the UTS Business School Research Award (2022).

• Research Grants: Deans Strategic Research Fund (2022), UTS Center for Business and Social Development (2022)
• Collaborations: IBM Design Asia Pacific, Deloitte Australia, Digitas
• Labs/Teams: Design Innovation Research Centre, Management Discipline Group

Her teaching integrates industry insights with digital transformation themes, emphasizing reflective learning tools and design thinking. Sumati co-convenes the EGOS sub-theme on 'Professional work(ers) past, present and future/s' and serves on editorial boards, including a Special Issue on 'Boredom at Work' for Organization.

• Awards: Grigor McClelland Dissertation Award finalist (2019), Best Paper Award (2017)
• Service: Conference co-chair (EGOS 2025), thesis examiner, peer reviewer for Academy of Management Learning & Education