Khazanchi named department chair in SCB

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Shalini (Shal) Khazanchi

Shalini (Shal) Khazanchi has been named department chair of management, international business and entrepreneurship of Saunders College of Business at Rochester Institute of Technology. Khazanchi is associate professor of management at Saunders College and will take on her new role effective Aug. 15.

“A highly respected teacher and scholar, Shal brings an energy and enthusiasm to work with the faculty, staff and students to continue to develop and elevate the management, international business and entrepreneurship department and programs,” said Saunders College Dean Jacqueline Mozrall. “She also recognizes the importance and value of collaborating with others across campus—and most recently served as Saunders Graduate Program Director (MS Management and MS Entrepreneurship and Innovative Ventures) and was a partner on a collaborative proposal that is supporting the development of interdisciplinary capstone projects with engineering and design.”

Khazanchi describes herself as a true academic at heart who strongly believes in making a difference through high-impact research and strong teaching. “I very much enjoy working with students and challenging them to discover insights and solutions that they would not have otherwise,” said Khazanchi. “I am looking forward to this new role because it gives me an opportunity to contribute directly to the community of which I am a part.”

Khazanchi’s research has centered on creativity, innovation and interpersonal relationships at work—primarily examining the contextual conditions and social processes that impact creative performance. Some of the major contributions include meta-analytic investigation of rewards and stress on creative performance, the study of paradoxical tensions associated with creative work and the survival of creativity under harsh conditions. Her work has been published in prestigious journals such as the Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Applied Psychology, Psychological Bulletin, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Organization Studies and Journal of Operations Management.

The Brighton resident received her Ph.D. in organizational behavior from the University of Cincinnati in 2005. During the past 11 years at RIT, Khazanchi earned the Saunders College prestigious Zutes Faculty Fellowship award in 2008, 2010 and 2011.

Khazanchi takes over the helm as Department Chair from Professor of Management Robert Barbato, who served in the position at Saunders College since 2011.