Saonee Sarker new dean of the Virginia Tech Pamplin College of Business

Published 27 February 2023

Woman standing in a door, smiling. Photo. — Saonee has been with LUSEM since 2021 but is now heading back to the US where she will act as Dean of Virginia Tech Pamplin College of Business. Photo: Louise Larsson

When it comes to some people, one can't help but think of the old quote Veni Vidi Vici*. And about Saonee Sarker, Professor of Informatics at Lund University School of Economics and Management (LUSEM), this is fitting: She came in the middle of the pandemic and quickly became a part of LUSEM, she saw the possibilities of the department and the School, and yes, absolutely... conquered. Now she is leaving LUSEM to become Dean of the Virginia Tech Pamplin College of Business.

Hi, Saonee and congratulations on your new appointment! Tell us why you are leaving LUSEM.

"I have enjoyed every bit of my time in LUSEM, but the opportunity to lead a world-class business school with a positive momentum is what is steering me away from LUSEM right now."

What will you miss the most about LUSEM?

"The fantastic, driven, passionate, caring colleagues."

What would you regard as the most challenging aspect of being a professor in Information systems at LUSEM?

"Being a Professor of Information Systems is in itself challenging in the current era given the enormous speed and scale at which digitalisation is transforming organizations and lives. Keeping students up-to-date with these changes require professors to also constantly reskill and retool themselves."

What did you hope to achieve while becoming a professor at LUSEM?

"To provide the Dept. of Informatics more visibility within the Information Systems academic discipline and to grow the department’s research endeavours."

In what professional activities or projects have you been involved at LUSEM?

"I have been involved in Ph.D. education, in co-creating the department’s research strategy, several grants, among others."

When will we see you again?

"I have several ongoing collaborative research projects with colleagues and am supervising PhD students so you will see me back soon 😀!"

During the week Virginia Tech wrote an article about Saonee on account of her being named the next dean of the Virginia Tech Pamplin College of Business. In that article, Saonee expressed how honoured she was by the new appointment and said:

“I am honoured to join the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech as its next dean. The college is experiencing tremendous positive momentum, and I look forward to partnering with new colleagues, alumni, and industry partners to advance a world-class business education ecosystem with far-reaching societal impact,” said Sarker.

Read the full article at Virginia Tech

*Veni, vidi, vici is classical Latin meaning "I came; I saw; I conquered", a phrase used to refer to a swift, conclusive victory.

Saonee Sarker

She grew up in India but moved to the U.S. when she was 21 years old.
She did her PhD at Washington State University.
She came to LUSEM the first time already in 2012 as a visiting fellow.
That she worked at the University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce between 2013 and 2021.
She is a Senior Editor of MIS Quarterly.

Saonee Sarker named dean of Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech (vtx.vt.edu)

Saonee's profile in Lund University research portal