Walton College Assistant Professor Named Senior Research Fellow at Portulans Institute

Abhijith Anand, assistant professor of information systems at the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, has been appointed as a Senior Research Fellow at the Portulans Institute, a prestigious Washington, D.C.-based think tank focused on innovation and technology policy.

As a Senior Research Fellow, Anand brings research expertise that sits at the intersection of information technology, digital transformation and organizational behavior, with a particular emphasis on the healthcare sector. He focuses on how emerging technologies such as analytics and artificial intelligence create value for organizations and society.

“This appointment represents an important opportunity to contribute to policy discussions at the intersection of technology, organizations and society,” Anand said. “The Portulans Institute's commitment to rigorous, data-driven research aligns with my research interests. It is rewarding for me to observe how my research can influence public policy discourse and vice-versa. I am keen to bridge this gap.”

The Portulans Institute is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan research and educational institute that develops research-based metrics to inform policymakers and global thought leaders on technology, innovation, and information and communications technologies. The institute is known for its influential benchmarking metrics and reports, including the Network Readiness Index, Global Innovation Index, and the Global Talent Competitiveness Index to aid policy assessments and design strategies for economies worldwide. The institute collaborates with organizations including the World Intellectual Property Organization, UNESCO, and corporate partners such as Google and Cisco. 

Anand has collaborated with and provided research expertise to a wide range of private and public sector organizations across the United States, Australia, India and New Zealand, including SAS Institute, Walmart, Artemis Hospitals, Westpac, Apollo Hospitals and Salesforce among others.

His research has been published and is forthcoming in leading academic journals including MIS Quarterly, Information Systems Research, Journal of Management Information Systems, European Journal of Information Systems and MIS Quarterly Executive. Anand's work has also been disseminated through industry whitepapers and reports, with insights adopted by practitioners and policymakers worldwide.

“Professor Anand’s appointment to this distinguished role reflects the caliber of our faculty and the national impact of research conducted at the Walton College,” said Shaila Miranda, the M.D. Matthews Endowed Chair of the Department of Information Systems. “His expertise in artificial intelligence, healthcare information technologies, and digital transformation will be invaluable to the Portulans Institute's work informing technology policy.”

Anand earned his Ph.D. from the University of Waikato in New Zealand, his M.S. and M.S. (Research) from the University of Wollongong in Australia, and a bachelor's degree in electronics engineering from Visvesvaraya Technological University in India. He has received numerous awards and competitive grants, including the Association for Information Systems Best Doctoral Dissertation Award, Professors and Heads of Information Systems New Zealand (PHIS-NZ) Best Dissertation Award, the Global Challenges Scholar Award, and the SAS Research Fellowship, among others.

About the Sam M. Walton College of Business: Founded in 1926, the Sam M. Walton College of Business stands as one of the largest colleges at the University of Arkansas, serving over 10,300 students across undergraduate, master's and doctoral programs. The college holds AACSB accreditation and consistently ranks among the top business schools in the United States. Walton College ranks 25th for its undergraduate business program among public colleges in the U.S. News & World Report's 2025 national rankings. Its undergraduate supply chain management program is recognized as the top program in North America by Gartner. In 2025, The Princeton Review included Walton's M.B.A. program in its Best Business Schools list for On-Campus M.B.A. Programs.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $3 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.