Operations Management, Entrepreneurship and New Product Development, Leadership, Small Business Management, Branding

Sini V Pillai is Assistant Professor at School of Digital Humanities and Liberal Arts and Faculty Chair- Placements at Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology (Digital University Kerala).

She instructs at the Masters and Doctoral levels, emphasizing experiential hands-on learning approach of learning by doing to provide students with practical experiences and real-world insights to enhance their understanding. Her course offerings cover a wide range of subjects, and she serves as the Academic Coordinator for the MBA program. Her commitment to education is further highlighted by her training in the Participant-Centered Case Study Methodology program by Harvard Business Publishing. As the Faculty Chair of Placements, she also play a crucial role in connecting academia with the job market and crucial in fostering strong ties with industry partners to facilitate placements. Her strong leadership, networking, and organizational skills create valuable opportunities for students and maintain the university’s reputation for producing job-ready graduates.

Sini V Pillai serves as a resource person in technical sessions for industry and academic institutions, enriching knowledge-sharing. She has contributed to various Management Development and Faculty Development Programs, hosted more than 30 training programs and offers consultancy services for academic institutes.

Link to personal/professional web page 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-sini-v-pillai-51188985/

ORCID:  https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8313-4888

Scopus ID: 57392609200, Web of Science ID: AAB-9673-2022, Vidwan-ID: 253483
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=2RwmkJYAAAAJ&hl=en

• Assistant Professor, School of Digital Humanities and Liberal Arts, Digital University Kerala (Former IIITM-Kerala) (March 2023 onwards)
• Assistant Professor, CET School of Management, College of Engineering Thiruvananthapuram(CET)
• Assistant Professor, Lourdes Matha College of Science and Technology
• Personal Banker, Retail Banking (Operations), HDFC Bank.

• Technology Management
• Operations Management
• Supply Chain Management
• Supply Chain and Logistics Management
• Principles of Information System Management
• Management Information Systems
• Quantitative Techniques
• Entrepreneurship
• Small Business Management
• Marketing Management
• Design Thinking
• Industry 4.0 
• New Product Development
• Business Communication
• Research Methodology
• EBusiness
• Business Process Re-engineering
• Six Sigma

Journals

• Pillai SV (2025), “Urban agriculture: a sustainability guide for developing countries”. Social Responsibility Journal (Q1), Vol. 21 No. 4 pp. 725–750, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/SRJ-07-2024-0433
• H, Darsana and V Pillai, Sini (2025), Plant-Based Dairy as a Sustainable Choice -Role of Price Sensitivity and Government Policies in Sculpting Consumer Switching Decisions (http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5722462
• Suresh Kumar C., Pillai, S. V., & Subramoniam, S. (2025). Application of AHP in Aerospace Configuration Management. FIIB Business Review (Q2), 14(2), 203-216.
• Nair, A., Pillai, S.V. (2024), Towards emerging Industry 5.0- a review based framework, Journal of strategy and Management (Q1) (Ahead of print) Emerald Publishig
• Pillai, S.V., Priyadarsini, R.S., Kumar, R.S. (2023). Student Small Satellite Design and Development in India: A Review. Advances in Small Satellite Technologies. Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering. Springer, Singapore.
• Pillai, S.V. and Prasad, J. (2023), Investigating the key success metrics for WFH/remote work models, Industrial and Commercial Training (Q2), Vol. 55 No. 1, pp. 19-33
• Pillai, S. V. (2022). A Novel Uni-directional Flow Circular Facility Layout for Effective Social Distancing. Vision, 26(4), 417–422.
• Pillai, S. V., JS, D., & Subramoniam, S. (2022). Conquering the Employability Conundrum among Business Graduates in India. Abhigyan, 40(3).2022, pp12-25.
• Pillai, S. V., and Suresh, Vishnu., Digital Transformation through Servant Leadership Model: A Qualitative Analysis. 40th IBIMA International Conference 2022, Seville, Spain, ISBN 979-8-9867719-0-8 and ISSN 2767-9640.
• Pillai, S. V., & Abhilash, V. S. (2022). Modeling and Evaluation of Circular Layout Facility in Hospitals. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 15(2), 55-67.
• Pillai, S. V., & Kumar, R. S. (2021). The role of data-driven artificial intelligence on COVID-19 disease management in public sphere: A review. Decision, 48, 375-389.
• Arunnima BS, Bijulal D, Kumar R.S., Pillai,S.V. Innovation Maturity-Scape: A Balanced Scorecard Approach to Measuring Innovation, Jilin Daxue Xuebao (Gongxueban)/Journal of Jilin University (Engineering and Technology Edition) Vol: 40(11) November 2021
• Pillai, S. V., VS, A., & Subramoniam, S. (2020). Technology to enhance humanitarian supply chains. Industrial Management, 62(5).pp 22-27, Published by Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) Sept/Oct 2020.
• Pillai, S. V., & Dev, D. (2022). Dynamics of Gig Work Economy: An Investigation of Worker Perspectives on Gig Work. IIMS Journal of Management Science, 13(2), SAGE Publishing
• Pillai, S. V. (2021). UPSHOT OF COVID-19 ON EMPLOYEE WORK STRESS. Journal of Strategic Human Resource Management, 10(2).
• Pillai, S. V., & Jayadev, S. (2021). The mediating role of corporate social responsibility: Exploring determinants and indicators in driving the performance constructs. IITM Journal of Management and IT, 12(2), 26-31.
• Pillai, S. V., & Jayadev, S. (2021). Unidirectional Circular Movement: A Healthier Way to Hospital Administration for Effectual Patient Care. Review of Professional Management, 19(2).
• Nair, N. P., Lal, L., & Pillai, S. V. (2021). Feasibility and Adoption of Electric Two-Wheeler Mobility Sharing service. Asian Journal of Management, 12(4), 435-438.

Conferences

 Conference Presentations- International

• Presented a research paper on “Designing Inclusive Workplaces for the future of work, a human Centered Multi- generational Approach” at 17th International Human Resource Management (IHRM) Conference, held at the Dubai Business School, University of Dubai, in partnership with the American University of Dubai and United Arab Emirates University and in association with the British Academy of Management, London during 29-30 Oct 2025.
• Presented a research paper on “Digital Transformation through Servant Leadership Model” at the 40th IBIMA International Conference on 23-24 November 2022, Seville, Spain.

 Conference Presentations- National

• Presented a research paper “Humanitarian and Crisis Management: Electric Vehicle Explosions in the Indian Scenario,” at the POMS India International Conference 2023, hosted by the Production and Operations Management Society POMS India chapter at XLRI Jamshedpur from December 4th to 6th, 2023.
• Presented a case study on “EV Market: Electric Vehicle Explosions in the Indian scenario” on Feb 24, 2023 at Fortune Institute of International Business (FIIB), New Delhi, India.
• Presented a research paper on “People-Centric Practices for Industry 5.0: A Bibliometric Analysis” at POMS India International Conference 2022 on “Reimagine OM for Providing Sustainable Solutions in New Normal” December 21-23, 2022, Venue: IIM Kozhikode.

 Conference Proceedings

• An AI-powered predictive analytics approach for early detection of entrepreneurial failures, authored by Sreekar Pai, Sini V. Pillai and Antony Satyadas, published in the proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Industrial Engineering hosted by IIIE on 8-9 August 2025, ISBN 978-93-89947-95-3(Paperback), ISBN 978-93-89947-90-8 (eBook).
• Sustainability without borders-Aligning Global climate goals with local development imperatives, authored by Darsana and Sini V. Pillai, published in the proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Industrial Engineering hosted by IIIE on 8-9 August 2025, ISBN 978-93-89947-95-3(Paperback), ISBN 978-93-89947-90-8 (eBook). 
•  H, Darsana and V Pillai, Sini, Plant-Based Dairy as a Sustainable Choice -Role of Price Sensitivity and Government Policies in Sculpting Consumer Switching Decisions (November 8, 2025). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5722462 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5722462
•  “Digital transformation through Servant Leadership Model: A Qualitative Analysis” authored by Sini V. PILLAI and Vishnu SURESH published at the 40th IBIMA International Conference on 23-24 November 2022 Seville, Spain. Conference proceedings (ISBN: 979-8-9867719-0-8) and (ISSN: 2767-9640), Published in the USA.
• “Developing a conceptual framework of Six Sigma critical success factors in software development companies wrt Technopark Thiruvananthapuram”, in the Proceedings of the 31st IBIMA Conference, Milan, Italy, ISBN 978 0- 9998551-0-2 25-26, April 2018, Indexed in Web of Science and SCOPUS.

 International Conferences/ Workshops Organized 

• Joint Organising Secretary and Chair of the technical paper committee for the 9 th International Conference on Industrial Engineering hosted by the Indian Institute of Industrial Engineering from 8-9 August 2025.
• Organising committee member of International Workshop on Smart Agriculture, Digital Rural Technology by IEI CoCE (India-Euro International Centre of Cooperation for Excellence) at IIT Delhi, Aug 29-30, 2025.   https://clst.iitg.ac.in/iei-coce/
• Editor of the International Conference proceedings- AI-driven Industrial Engineering for Sustainability as part of the 9th International Conference on Industrial Engineering hosted by the Indian Institution of Industrial Engineering IIIE on 8-9 August 2025, ISBN 978-93-89947-95-3(Paperback), ISBN 978-93-89947-90-8 (eBook).
• Conducted MDP on “Operational excellence through lean six sigma in manufacturing and services” on March 17, 2021, at CET for the benefit of Executives from the Industry
• Joint Organizing secretary for the International Conference on Humanizing Work and Work Environment HWWE 2018, conference theme “Technology   Enabled    Workplace   Design”   jointly organized at CET in association with

  the Indian Society of Ergonomics and Indian Institution of Industrial Engineering during December 14-16, 2018.

• Organized, conducted and coordinated more than 30 training programs in technology and managerial domains. The target participants include the Heads of Institutions, Deans, HODs, Senior Level Faculty, Faculty members, Technical staff, and Administrative staff of Government Engineering Colleges and Polytechnic institutes under the Directorate of Technical Education, Government of Kerala. One of the programs, a high-level 5-day residential program on “Leadership empowerment,” was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, during his tenure as President of India.

Microsoft Power BI Essentials– You always wanted to know

• Published by Vibrant Publishers LLC, USA, www.vibrantpublishers.com; Paperback ISBN 13: 978-1-63651-571-7; Ebook ISBN 13: 978-1-63651-572-4; Hardback ISBN 13: 978-1-63651-573-1 (Single author book) https://www.vibrantpublishers.com/pages/dr-sini-v-pillai

“My inspiration for writing this book has emerged from the drive to learn and master Power BI. Through trial and error and countless hours of self-study using real-world applications, I learned how to tap into the highest potential of Power BI. The self-study experience fueled my passion for sharing this knowledge with others,”

Editor of Books

• Pillai, Sini V. Governing the Future with Digital Twins. Orange Publications, 2026
• AI-driven Industrial Engineering for Sustainability by Dr. Bijulal D., Dr. Sini V. Pillai , Dr. Suresh Kumar C.  Excel India Publishers; First Edition (27 July 2025) ISBN 978-93-89947-95-3(Paperback), ISBN 978-93-89947-90-8 (eBook). https://amzn.in/d/8iEpxQv

Book Chapters

• Sini V. Pillai, Smart Mechanical Task-based Robots for Agriculture and Farming, in the book Robotics and Intelligent Machines in Smart Agriculture: Emerging Systems and Applications by CRC Press, Routledge, Taylor and Francis, ISBN 9781032912448, April 16, 2026 
• Akshay K Vijay and Sini V. Pillai, “Implications of organizational climate on turnover intention among employees in the banking sector,” Review of Operational Issues and Prospects of Commercial Banks in the Current Scenario, Romanson Publishing House, September 2021, ISBN 978-81-949580-9-3.
• Sini V. Pillai, Navya J and Vipin H., Book chapter on “The new normal in higher education- The Covid-19 impact” in the book Covid-19 and the Indian Economy by New Century Publishers, New Delhi, 2023

Academic Governance 

• Chair- Placements, DUK
• Co-ordinator-MBA Program, DUK
• Chief Superintendent of the MTech/MSc/MBA/ PGDeG/PhD.Examinations 2025
• DRAT/DUAT Question paper setter 2023,2024,2025
• PhD supervisorship (3 scholars currently pursuing research under my supervision at Digital University Kerala on Entrepreneurship and Sustainability)
• PhD Comprehensive exam Viva Examiner, KTU

Professional Body memberships

• Senior Member of the Indian Institution of Industrial Engineering (IIIE), Navi Mumbai (SM 10606), 
• Member IIIE  Trivandrum Chapter, Life Member of the Indian Society for Technical Education (ISTE)
• Member of the Trivandrum Management Association, 
• Member-International Association of Engineers, IAENG (ID 549909) 
• Member-Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers IISE (ID 900083989)

Consultancy projects undertaken

• Technical Expert- IGNIET 2026– Innovation for Government with Emerging Technologies, aimed at enabling Government Departments to address governance challenges through the emerging technologies program of KDISC
• Consultant and Resource person- Amrita School of Business, Amritapuri Campus Job Role Analysis and Vitalizing compensation structure
• Translation of technical textbooks UG and PG by AICTE
• The proposal to create smart agricultural villages was presented as part of India’s EU-CoCE meeting on smart villages at IISC Bangalore. Selected for funding by the Central Ministry
• Post Graduate Certificate Program in Entrepreneurship: Small Business Management was given to select 1100 project executives of the Department of Industries, Government of Kerala in three batches.  The course was conducted from 2023 to 2024 at three locations- Trivandrum. Kochi and Kozhikode’s course aimed to create 1 lakh MSMEs in 1 year, and the target was exceeded.
• KSUM interview panel member and member of the Performance Review Committee and Job Role Analysis for Kerala Start-up Mission
• Involved in consultancy projects related to electric vehicles, smart schools, and strategic development plans for educational institutions.
• Electric Vehicle Project under Dr Ashok Jhunjhunwala, Principal Advisor, Minister of Railways, Government of India, New Delhi, India, Professor IIT Madras, IITM Research Park founder. Entrusted with the Operations Logistics area. We are now working on a study related to shared e-mobility in Kerala. Submitted the report on shared e-mobility using two-wheelers in Kerala.
• Working as Management representative for the process of converting Schools in Trivandrum to SMART schools. Soft Skills to attain a smart tag, The Hindu, Nov 17, 2016 https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Thiruvananthapuram/Soft-skills-to-attain-a-smart- tag/article16644299.ece
• Developed a vision for Kerala Health Science University (KUHS) – development of the Vision 2025 document
• Development of Strategic Development Plan for Government Engineering College, Barton Hill, Thiruvananthapuram, Strategic Planning for Thalassery Engineering College under CAPE and Mohandas Engineering College Trivandrum and Vision building for CET School of Management.

Journal Editor/Reviewer

• Reviewer – Nature Human Behaviour, Nature Publishing Group
• Reviewer- Social Responsibility journal, Emerald

Organizing Committee

• Organising committee member of International Workshop on Smart Agriculture & Digital Rural Technology by IEI CoCE (India-Euro International Centre of Cooperation for Excellence) at IIT Delhi, Aug 29-30, 2025.       https://clst.iitg.ac.in/iei-coce/
• Joint organising secretary and Chair of the technical paper committee for the 9th International Conference on Industrial Engineering hosted by the Indian Institute of Industrial Engineering from 8-9 August 2025.
• Editor of the International Conference proceedings- AI-driven Industrial Engineering for Sustainability ISBN 978-93-89947-95-3(Paper back) ISBN 978-93-89947-90-8 (eBook).
• Chosen to present paper (124-0118) titled “Growing Green Futures: Guiding Operational Excellence in Urban Agriculture for Developing Nations” at the 2024 POMS Annual Conference from April 25 to April 29, 2024, at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis.
• Certificate of appreciation for serving on the International Committee board of the 40th IBIMA International Conference, 23-24 May 2022, Seville, Spain ISSN: 2767-9640.
• Joint Organizing secretary for the International Conference on Humanizing Work and Work Environment HWWE 2018, conference theme   “Technology   Enabled    Workplace   Design”    jointly organized    by the Department of ME and CET SoM in association with the Indian Society of Ergonomics and Indian Institution of Industrial Engineering during December 14-16, 2018.
• Conducted MDP on “Operational excellence through lean six sigma in manufacturing and services” on March 17, 2021, at CET for the benefit of Executives from the Industry.
• Hosted the talk “Let’sTalk” which showcased an interactive session by the participating management students with a panel of personalities amongst the varied strata of the society which includes Dr. Shashi Tharoor, MP., Shri Vijayaraghavan, Founder Member Technopark, Shri Umesh Kamath, UST Global, Shri M G Radhakrishnan, Editor, Asianet News, Shri Gouridasan Nair, Kerala Bureau Chief The Hindu  at Al Saj Convention Centre.
• Hosted Max Ed National level Best Project awards for B-school students on 23 August 2017.
• Master of Ceremonies during the inauguration of the year-long Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of CET by the Honourable President of India, Shri. Pranab Mukerjee in 2014.
• Selected to attend the Participant Centred Case Study Methodology conducted by Harvard University in March 2012, and then trained in the Case Study Method of Learning by Harvard Business Publishing, 2012.
• Received the Ever-rolling trophy “TMA – KIMS Award for best paper and the presentation” for the paper “Employee versus Entrepreneur for Business students” from the Chief Minister of Kerala Sri. Oommen Chandy during the Annual Management Convention of the Trivandrum Management Association at Trivandrum on November 25 and 26, 2014.

Invited Lectures Delivered

• Resource person at the Six Day Capacity Building Program for Women Entrepreneurs on Digital Marketing Strategies in collaboration with MSME at NIT Calicut,  22nd February to 27th February 2025.
• Attended one month FIP GURU – DAKSHTA hosted by UGC-Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Centre (UGC-MMTC) from 13 Ian 2025 to 8 Feb 2025
• Attended a 5-day Leadership program under the aegis of Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Program at IIM Bangalore from 9-13 Dec 2024
• Attended and took a session for KASE employees during Sept 2024
• Taken a session on Product Market Fit as part of Innovation Cell/Council Activity during Aug 2024
• Taken a session on Career Building at Travancore Engineering College during May 2024
• Attended Gen AI workshop during Aug 2024
• Taken a session on Innovative Pedagogy Design at the Faculty Development program organised by the College of Engineering Trivandrum (CET) on 17 Jan 2024.

 Training programs/ Outbound Training Programs Organized

Organized, conducted and coordinated more than 30 training programs. The target participants include the Heads of Institutions, Deans, HODs, Senior Level Faculty, Faculty members, Technical staff, and Administrative staff of Government Engineering Colleges and Polytechnic institutes under the Directorate of Technical Education, Government of Kerala. Few of the areas include Outcome based Accreditation, Goods and Service Tax, Research Writing, Interpersonal Skill Development, Inspirational Leadership, Life skills and soft skills, Leadership Empowerment, Preparation of Institutional Development Plan for Quality Technical Education in the State, Transforming leaders to Visionaries, Making TEQIP Institutions more Effective, MS Office, Research Methodology, E-Governance, Office automation and computer applications, Communication skill development, and Digital Library Management. One of the programs, a high-level 5-day residential program on “Leadership empowerment,” was inaugurated by honorable Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam .

• MTC Global Outstanding Researcher Award 2026

• Best Paper-WriTech Utsav 2022