Dhaliwal Recognized as a Faculty Research “Millionaire”

For release:  February 20, 2013

Dr. Jasbir Dhaliwal, FCBE Professor and Associate Dean for Research and Academic Programs, is being recognized by the University in the 2013 class of faculty research “millionaires.” This elite group is comprised of faculty members who have served as Principle Investigator (PI) on more than $1 million in externally supported research during their tenure at the University of Memphis.

“Raising over $1 million represents a significant milestone that is not easily accomplished,” said Deborah Hernandez, Director of Research Development. “This level of support is earned by being a leader in some area of discovery, research or service. It also signifies tremendous amounts of hard work beyond teaching, publishing and other traditional academic commitments.”

The Faculty PI Millionaire Recognition Program was established last year to commemorate the University of Memphis’s centennial celebration. To date, only two other faculty members from the Fogelman College of Business and Economics have achieved this award – Dr. John Gnuschke, Director of the Sparks Bureau of Business and Economic Research, and Dr. Benwari Kedia, Chair of Excellence and Director of the Wang Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER). Dhaliwal will be the third recognized member of this elite FCBE group.

Dhaliwal achieved the majority of his externally raised funds, over the course of about six years, serving as the Director of Systems Testing Excellence Program (STEP). STEP is a major interdisciplinary research initiative under the umbrella of the FedEx Institute of Technology with academic program support from Fogelman College of Business and Economics. STEP brings faculty from Management Information Systems, Computer Science and Engineering Departments together to perform research on testing excellence. STEP provides a world class testing research environment and a training center that provides an international forum for learning and disseminating testing knowledge and best practices. Two of STEP’s main research and training partners include the United States Department of Defense and FedEx.

“Dr. Dhaliwal’s commitment to STEP and the Fogelman College is extraordinary,” said Dr. Rajiv Grover, Dean of Fogelman College. “We are very proud of his accomplishment as a Faculty PI ‘millionaire’ but, most especially, his involvement in the advancement of both the science of testing as well as industry best practices in the area.”

Last year’s Centennial Class of PI Millionaires included 62 individuals, representing 25 academic departments and 7 colleges. This year, 9 new research “millionaires” are being recognized.