Deepika Chhillar, PhD

Research Areas

Aligning corporate purpose, culture, and employee expectations

Industry Impact

• Researches how organizations can attract, motivate, and retain talent in remote and hybrid work environments by aligning corporate purpose, culture, and employee expectations.
• Researches governance approaches that help organizations balance profitability, sustainability, and long-term strategic goals in the adoption and use of artificial intelligence.

Biography at a Glance

Deepika Chhillar is an assistant professor of management at the Daniels College of Business, University of Denver. Her research sits at the intersection of strategic human resource management, corporate sustainability and digital governance, with a particular focus on the organizational implications of artificial intelligence. She holds a PhD in Business Administration from the Gies College of Business, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and dual degrees in Economics and Computer Science Engineering from BITS Pilani, India.

Her work has been published in Business & Society and featured at leading conferences including the Academy of Management, Strategic Management Society, and EGOS. During her PhD, she received several awards, including the AAUW Doctoral Fellowship and the Richard A. Erley Award for Academic Excellence.

Prior to academia, Deepika worked across industry and consulting in roles spanning leadership development, advanced analytics, and market risk. Her professional experience includes positions at Spencer Stuart, 9.9 Group, Schlumberger, and Credit Suisse across the U.S. and India.

She loves to travel whenever she gets the chance, especially to national parks. Exploring scenic trails and hiking through nature is one of her favorite ways to unwind.

Education

• PhD in Business Administration from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• MSc (Hons) in Economics from BITS Pilani University
• BE (Hons) in Computer Science from BITS Pilani University

Academic Positions Held

Assistant Professor of Management at Daniels College of Business

Awards and Honors

• 2023, Richard A. Erley Award for Academic excellence. UIUC ($5,000)
• 2023, PhD Spring Award, Block Grant. UIUC ($1,300)
• 2022, AAUW – American Association for University Women Doctoral Fellowship ($20,000)
• 2022, Medici Summer School Fellow. HEC Paris
• 2021, Research Award. Center for Professional Responsibility in Business & Society ($2000)
• 2013, Young India Fellowship, Merit-based Scholarship. Ashoka University (5000$)
• 2012, Excellence Award Best Employee Award, Global Market Risk Division, Credit Suisse
• Second in Class, MSc Economics, BITS Pilani
• National Scholarship for Academic Performance Indian Armed Forces (10,000$)