Aston University has welcomed the appointment of Dr Vignesh Yoganathan, a marketing expert in service robots and AI, to its College of Business and Social Sciences.
He will join the University on 16 April 2024 as a professor of marketing.
Dr Yoganathan is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and, prior to joining the University, has held leadership roles in several leading UK universities, and has developed and led MBA and MSc digital marketing programmes.
His current research examines the consumer perspective of service robots and AI-based services through the application of statistical modelling/machine learning and qualitative-interpretive methods.
Service robots come in many shapes, like the robot Pepper and Amazon’s Alexa, or no shape at all, like ChatGPT. They are interactive and adaptable systems, which are capable of communicating, learning and performing different tasks for us.
His publications have appeared in leading academic journals, including the Journal of Service Research, Journal of Business Ethics, Tourism Management and Journal of Business Research.
He has also worked on UK government and EU-funded projects and is keen to engage with organisations from the private, public and voluntary sectors.
He has taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses in several other countries in addition to the UK and is particularly experienced in executive education and digital learning.
Dr Yoganathan said:
“I look forward to focusing on contributing towards the priorities and ambitions of the Aston 2030 Strategy through my research, teaching and external engagement activities.
“I am fortunate to have the opportunity to work together with the students and staff at the University and am very excited to be joining such a vibrant and ambitious business school”.
Professor Zoe Radnor, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean for the College of Business and Social Sciences at Aston University, said:
“I am delighted to welcome Vignesh to Aston University.
“His expertise in marketing, particularly in the realm of service robots and AI, is a valuable addition to our community.
“Vignesh’s extensive experience, coupled with his dedication to understanding consumer perspectives, will undoubtedly enrich our academic environment.
“We look forward to his contributions to our Aston 2030 Strategy and engaging with him in advancing our mission of academic excellence and societal impact.”