Vanitha Virudachalam

Vanitha Virudachalam is an Assistant Professor of Business Administration at the Gies College of Business, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She holds a PhD in Operations Management from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, an MPP from the University of Chicago, and a BA in Applied Mathematics from UC Berkeley. Her research focuses on public sector service operations, emphasizing K-12 education, healthcare, and political systems. She explores incentives in coproduced service systems where outcomes depend on interactions between providers and users.

Education:

• PhD, Operations Management, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania (2020)
• MPP, Public Policy, University of Chicago Harris School (2012)
• BA, Applied Mathematics (Operations Research emphasis), UC Berkeley (2006)

Research Interests: Her work examines how incentives shape service delivery in public systems. Key areas include:

• Incentive design for teachers and students in K-12 education
• Healthcare operations and coordination challenges
• Gender diversity in public service roles
• Policy impacts of third-party payment systems

Teaching & Service: Teaches BADM 211: Business Analytics II. Serves on multiple academic committees including PhD admissions, faculty recruitment, and course coordination. Active in journal refereeing for Management Science, M&SOM, and INFORMS journals.

Awards:

• 2024 Gies Grant ($8,960)
• 2021 Junior Faculty Council Grant ($3,750)
• 2013–2019 Wharton Doctoral Fellowship
• Phi Beta Kappa (2006)

Professional Experience: Former Data Analyst at Springfield Public Schools and Marketing Manager at MyNewPlace. Active in academic service including conference organizing and paper competitions.