Dr. Kavitha Muthukumaran is an accomplished academic and researcher with more than two decades of experience spanning finance and management education, research, academic leadership and industry engagement. She holds a Ph.D. in Finance from AMET University and an MBA in Finance from the University of Madras, where she was the University First Rank Holder and Gold Medalist. She also holds an M.Phil. in International Business from Alagappa University and a B.Sc. in Mathematics from Stella Maris College.

Her teaching and research interests include behavioral finance, FinTech, financial data analytics, personal finance, data visualization and the application of artificial intelligence to business decision-making. She has published in Scopus- and Web of Science-indexed journals, presented research at national and international conferences, guided doctoral scholars and served on Doctoral Committees across several universities.

She is also an experienced consultant and trainer. Her engagement with industry includes management development programs, consultancy assignments and an externally funded project involving the design and development of an autonomous delivery BOT.

Work Experience

• July 2026 – Present, Shiv Nadar University Chennai ,Associate Professor 
• June 2011 – June 2026, SSN School of Management / SSN College of Engineering, Chennai , Associate Professor 
• Prior to joining SSN, she held teaching positions at Jeppiaar Engineering College and Hindustan College of Engineering.

Projects

1. Funded/ Sponsored Research Projects:

1. Design, Development, and Configuration of an Autonomous Delivery BOT – Aerovista Dynamics (External Funded Project) – 2024

• Dr. Kavitha Muthukumaran serves as the Management Consultant for an externally funded project with Aerovista Dynamics, Netherlands, on the design, development, and configuration of an autonomous delivery BOT.
• The objective of this project is to develop a four-wheeled autonomous delivery bot capable of transporting items from a central hub to multiple destinations with high precision and safety. The system integrates sensor-based environment perception, autonomous navigation, and real-time communication between the bot and delivery stations. The design emphasizes scalability, modularity, and reliability, making it adaptable for diverse delivery applications such as paper and parcel distribution within controlled environments.
• The project brings together a multidisciplinary research team from SSN College of Engineering to create an industry-ready proof-of-concept prototype for smart, automated logistics solutions.

2. AICTE–ATAL Faculty Development Programme (2025)

• Organized a six-day Faculty Development Programme (FDP) titled Behavioural Finance and Financial Modelling: Integrating Psychology and Data for Smarter Financial Decisions, sponsored by AICTE–ATAL.
• The FDP, conducted in 2025, focused on integrating behavioural finance principles with data-driven analytical techniques to better understand investor psychology and improve financial decision-making. The program provided participants with hands-on exposure to analytical tools, behavioural modelling, and current research trends, fostering interdisciplinary learning among academicians and professionals.

2. Internal Funded Projects – SSN Institutions

• Engaged in several faculty- and student-funded projects supported by SSN Institutions Research Fund.
• Faculty projects address themes such as digital literacy, women’s economic empowerment, and socio-economic development.
• Student research projects explore issues in urban management, financial awareness, hybrid learning, and sustainable community development.

3. MDP

1. Finance for Non-Finance Managers – Numeric UPS

• Key Modules

• Understanding Financial Statements – Balance Sheet, Profit & Loss, and Cash Flow
• Costing, Budgeting, and Financial Planning
• Ratio Analysis, Working Capital, and Investment Decisions
• Linking Financial Insights to Strategic Goals
•  

• Highlights

• Delivered interactive, case-based sessions that simplified core financial concepts for non-finance professionals.
• Strengthened participants’ ability to interpret and apply financial data in managerial decisions.
• Received strong participant feedback for practical relevance and clarity of instruction.

4. Financial Intelligence for Individual Effectiveness – Larsen & Toubro (L&T)

• Key Modules

• Accounting Concepts and Financial Statement Analysis
• Ratio Interpretation and Costing Techniques
• Budgeting, Planning, and Financial Decision-Making

• Highlights

• Enhanced financial literacy and analytical thinking among professionals.
• Combined conceptual learning with real-world business applications.
• Recognized for its engaging format and high participant satisfaction.

5. Consultancy

• Customer Experience Management Model – Mac App Studio

• Developed a customer experience management model to enhance client engagement and satisfaction.
• Identified key customer touchpoints, built a structured measurement framework, and proposed actionable strategies to strengthen customer interaction and loyalty.
• Delivered an implementation framework aligning customer insights with business goals to improve service quality and retention.

• Unique Selling Proposition and Market Positioning Strategy – Pepul (Social Media Platform)

• Conducted market research-based consultancy project to develop a unique selling proposition and market positioning strategy for a social media platform.
• Analysed user perception, engagement behaviour, and content interaction data to support brand differentiation and digital growth.
• Provided data-driven insights and strategic recommendations for marketing direction and product enhancement.

• Marble Market Dynamics and Contractor Expectation Analysis – Guntupalli Marbles

• Objective: To analyze market dynamics, pricing patterns, and contractor expectations in the marble and granite industry.
• The study aims to identify market opportunities, assess demand behaviour, and develop strategic insights to support business expansion and operational planning.

 Publications

1. Vani Haridasan, Kavitha Muthukumaran published a paper titled “Impact of Service Quality on Service Loyalty in Strengthening Customer Relationship in Telecom Services” in International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Technology (IJMET), Volume 9, Issue4, 2018 pp 606-616 [Scopus Indexed].
2.  Kavitha Muthukumaran,Vani Haridasan published a paper titled “Performance Analysis of Select Companies in Cement Industry using Various Models” in International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET),Volume 9, Issue 3, 2018,pp 839-852 [Scopus Indexed].
3. Dr Kavitha M. and Dr. K. Sampath Kumar published a paper titled “Macro Economic Factors on Sensex – An Impact Study” in International Research Journal of Business Management, Vol 11 Issue 1, 2018, ISSN: 2322- 083X [Scopus Indexed].
4. Kavitha M, Vani Haridasan and D. Varathakrishnan published a research paper titled “The Study on Living Standards and Satisfaction in Migrant Dorms” in Indian Journal of Science and Technology, Volume 12, issue 19, pp1-9, 2019. Print ISSN: 0974-6846, Online ISSN: 0974-5645. (Web of Science)
5. Kavitha Muthukumaran and Vani Haridasan, “Optimizing the usage of voice assistants for Shopping”, Indian Journal of Science and Technology, 13(43): 4407-4416, 2020.
6. Dr. Kavitha M., Dr. Mahalingam, “A study of environmental management of construction and demolition waste”, Sustainable Practices and Innovations in Civil Engineering 2021, Singapore, page number 235 – 250.ISBN 978-981-16-5041-3.
7. Kavitha Muthukumaran, Vani Haridasan, “Proliferation of digital payments in India – A pathway to cashless economy”, ECS Transactions,107(1), pp 8727, 2022.
8. Kavitha Muthukumaran, Vani Haridasan, “Lifestyle and Behaviour of Children during Covid 19”, ECS Transactions, 107(1), pp 8777, 2022.
9. Dr. Kavitha M, Dr. Hariharanath K., “Deep Learning Enabled Financial Crisis Prediction Model for Small – Medium Sized Industries”, Intelligent Automation and Soft Computing, 35(1), 2023.
10. Dr. Vani Haridasan, Dr. Kavitha Muthukumaran and Dr. K. Hariharanath published a paper titled, “Arithmetic Optimization with Deep Learning Enabled Churn Prediction Model for Telecommunication Industries” in Intelligent Automation & Soft Computing, Volume 35, Number3, 2023.
11. Dr. Kavitha M, Dr. Vani Haridasan and Dr. K.Hariharanath published a paper titled ‘Feature Selection with Optimal Variational Autoencoder for Financial Crisis Model” in Computer Systems Science and Engineering, 45(1), 2023.
12. Vani Haridasan, Kavitha Muthukumaran and Hariharanath K, “Tomtit Flock Optimization with Deep Variational Autoencoder for Customer Churn Prediction in Telecommunication Industry”, International Research Journal of Multidisciplinary Scope (IRJMS), Vol. 5, No. 3, pp. 376-389, 2024, Online ISSN: 2582-631X.(DOI :10.47857/irjms.2024.v05i03.0749)
13. Vani Haridasan, Hariharanath K and Kavitha Muthukumaran, “Gazelle optimization and conditional variational auto encoder for telecom user service recommendation based on churn analysis”, Expert Systems with Applications, Vol. 267, 2024, Impact factor 7.5.(DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2024.126199)
14. Kavitha Muthukumaran, Vani Haridasan, K. Hariharanath, M. Sabari Manikandan, S. Pranav Krishna and Sanjana, K. (2025). “Optimizing Academic Performance Through Hybrid and Online Learning in the Digital Age: A Chennai-Based Study”. Advances in Consumer Research, 2(4), 646-654. (B Category Journal).

15. Kavitha Muthukumaran, S.Joshikaa, R.Kaviya, Vani Haridasan, K. Hariharanath, (2025). “Evolving Dynamics of Food Biotechnology: Consumer Knowledge of Genetically Modified Ingredients (GMI)”. Advances in Consumer Research, 2(4), 637-645.(B Category Journal).
16. Vani Haridasan, Kavitha Muthukumaran, Subashini B, Aarthy R and Aarthi V (2025), Gendered Perspectives on Rural Employment: Evaluating Role of MGNREGA in Women Empowerment, Journal of Informatics Education and Research, 5(2), 5692-5701. (C Category Journal)
17. Dr. Kavitha Muthukumaran, and Dr. Vani Haridasan, “QUANTIFUND MODEL FOR COHESIVE MUTUAL FUND PORTFOLIO OPTIMIZATION”, International Journal of Innovation Studies, Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 1341-1352, 2025, Print ISSN: 2096-2487, Online ISSN: 2589-2975, Impact factor 5.3. (WoS & Scopus Indexed) (B Category Journal)(DOI: https://iji-studies.com/index.php/IJIS/article/view/299) (B Category Journal)
18. Dr. Kavitha Muthukumaran, Dr. Vani Haridasan, “CLICKS, CONFIDENCE, AND CARE: WHAT DRIVES DIGITAL BANKING SATISFACTION IN INDIA?”, International Journal of Innovation Studies, Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 1327-1340, 2025, Print ISSN: 2096-2487, Online ISSN: 2589-2975, Impact factor 5.3. (WoS & Scopus Indexed)(DOI: https://iji-studies.com/index.php/IJIS/article/view/298) (B Category Journal)

Awards

Best Teacher Award — SSN School of Management

• Received for six consecutive academic years: 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24 and 2024–25.

Memberships

Research Committee Memberships:

• Serving as a Doctoral Committee Member for Anna University, SRM University, VIT University, SASTRA University, and VELS University, guiding and evaluating research scholars across various areas of specialization.
• Acted as Session Chair in several national and international conferences, contributing to academic discussions and evaluating scholarly research presentations.

Areas of Research

• Fintech
• Behavioural Finance
• Data Visualization
• Financial Data Analytics and Modelling
• Personal Finance and Wealth Management

Links

H-Index and Citations:

Dr. Kavitha Muthukumaran – Google Scholar