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About Dr. Ashwin Mahalingam
Dr. Ashwin Mahalingam is a Researcher and Advisor.
He is a Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at IIT Madras. Ashwin is also a co-founder of Okapi Advisory Services and serves as a Director on the Board.
He is the Editor of the Engineering Project Organization Journal (EPOJ) and has served on many National Committees.
His research interests are in the areas of Infrastructure and Construction Management, Cross Cultural Issues in Large Engineering Projects, and Public Private Partnerships (PPP).
Ashwin earned his Bachelor’s Degree from IIT Madras and holds a Master’s Degree and PhD from Stanford University, all in the field of Civil Engineering.
Selected Links and Show Notes
Selected Links
- Connect with Ashwin
- IIT Madras – Department of Civil Engineering
- Stanford University – Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- UWaterloo – Promoting Effective Classroom Participation
- What is Peer Learning and Why is it Important?
- Differentiating Normal, Complex and Megaprojects
- Megaproject
- Infrastructure
- Chennai Metro Rail Project
- 6 Common Causes of Cost Overruns in Construction Projects
- Sydney Opera House Named to Over-Budget Hall of Shame
- East-West Gas Pipeline Project (China)
- COVID-19 and its Impact on Infrastructure Projects
- The Golden Triangle of Project Management
- Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (Government of India)
- Understanding the Optimism Bias
- Cost Benefit Analysis for Projects: A Step-by-Step Guide
- Influence: Overt versus Covert
- Michel Foucault and Governmentality
- Sample Megaproject Organization Chart (Image)
- Design Thinking and the Stanford d.School
- IDEO and the Shopping Cart
- Nagpur Metro Rail Project
- NEWater (from Singapore)
- Explaining the Circular Economy and How Society Can Re-think Progress | Animated Video Essay (Ellen MacArthur Foundation)
- Entrepreneurship in times of COVID (Talk by Ashwin Mahlingam)
- E-Cell IIT Madras
- A Talk on Chess and Music by Prof. Ashwin Mahalingam and Anil Srinivasan
- IIT Madras’ 3D Printed House
- Recommended Books
- Professional Engineer License
- Selected Publications
- Megaproject Leadership in the Developing World: An Indian Perspective (A. Mahalingam)
- Managing Project Community in Infrastructure Megaprojects (J. Ninan, A. Mahalingam, S. Clegg)
- Making Contingent Decisions in Megaprojects – Governance Lessons from an Imitation and Adaptation Perspective (M. Balasubramani, A. Mahalingam)
- Branding and Governmentality for Infrastructure Megaprojects: The Role of Social Media (Research Summary)
- Engineering Project Organization Journal (EPOJ)
Show Notes
On Ashwin’s Childhood and Early Days [02:25]
Approach to Teaching, current Teaching Assignments, and Research Interests [07:11]
What is a Megaproject? [09:21]
How Megaprojects impact India? [12:22]
Project Management complexities in Megaprojects [16:16]
How Megaproject Management differs from a typical Software Project [18:43]
A First Lesson in Megaproject Planning [19:10]
On Defining Value in a Megaproject [22:46]
On the use of Social Media in influencing Megaprojects [27:15]
On Using Design Thinking in a Slum Development Project [34:38]
Design Thinking for Software Development [39:56]
Leadership in Megaprojects [41:55]
Integrated Sustainability Thinking in Megaprojects [46:25]
On the Entrepreneurship Cell (E-Cell) at IIT Madras [50:36]
On STEM-based Learning and Education[54:15]
On Technology Trends in Construction Management [57:03]
Recommended Books [59:06]
On Continuous Learning for Engineers [1:01:40]
What would be the three pieces of advice Ashwin would give himself if he was 10 years old, today [1:03:53]
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