# Shailendra Raj Mehta

Shailendra Raj Mehta (born 9 July 1959) is an Indian academic, administrator, and entrepreneur. Since 2017, he has been serving as the President and Director of MICA (Institute) in Ahmedabad, where he is also a professor of innovation and Entrepreneurship. He is known for his contributions to entrepreneurship, institution design, microeconomics, experimental economics, and strategic management.
Mehta has held prominent positions in Indian higher education, including Chairman of the Board of Management at AURO University and Provost and Vice-Chancellor of Ahmedabad University. He is also a member of the Mission High-Level Committee (MHLC) of the Indian Knowledge System and Vice-Chairman of the Governing Body of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS) in Shimla.

## Early life and education

Mehta was born in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. He completed his Bachelor of Arts at St. Stephen's College, Delhi, followed by a Master of Arts from the Delhi School of Economics. He went on to earn an M.Phil. from Balliol College, Oxford, and a Ph.D. from Harvard University.

## Career

Mehta has carried out research in the areas of Entrepreneurship, industrial organization, information economics, and experimental economics.
From 1990 to 2006, he taught at the Krannert School of Management, Purdue University, first in Economics and later in Strategy. During this period, he also served as the Director of the Krannert School of Management's Entrepreneurship Initiative and also of the SEAS Simulation Lab. He taught a wide range of courses to undergraduate, MBA, and Ph.D. students. He has been awarded one of Purdue University's highest awards, the Class of 1922 Award for Teaching, Innovation, and Helping Students Learn. While at Purdue, he co‐founded Simulex Inc., a high technology company in the Purdue Research Park.
After a 16-year stint at Purdue University, he returned to India in 2006–2007 to head the collaboration between Duke University's Corporate Education Arm, Duke CE, and Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad as its head for India, West Asia and the Middle East and simultaneously as visiting professor of Business Policy at IIM-Ahmedabad.
In 2014, he was appointed as the Provost and Vice-Chancellor of Ahmedabad University. In 2015, he was appointed as the chairman of the Board of Management at Auro University where he also served as Acting Vice-Chancellor and Distinguished Professor of Strategy.
In 2017, he became the President & Director of MICA (institute) and was also appointed as the Distinguished Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The Ministry of Education has appointed him as the vice-chairman of the Governing Body of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS).

### US Patents

* System and method for analyzing and structuring data records
* System and method for automated document generation
* Industry Simulation Environment

## President and director of MICA

As president of MICA, Mehta partnered the institute with management schools in the United States including Emory University, Michigan State University, Northwestern University, University of Southern California and with Chinese varsities. Under Mehta's tenure, MICA earned the 'Great Place to Work' certification.
After his term ends at MICA in May 2024, he will join O. P. Jindal Global University.