First NSR pre-doc fellow completes PhD, milestone for IIMB

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Muhammed Sadiq T has become the first fellow to complete a doctoral degree under the N S Ramaswamy Pre-doctoral Fellowship (NSR Pre-doc) at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB), marking a key milestone for the institute's one-year, full- time, fully funded, research-in- tensive programme.

Sadiq, part of the inaugural 2018–19 NSR Pre-doc cohort, successfully defended his doctoral thesis at the Indian Insti- tute of Technology (IIT) Madras and will be formally awarded the PhD at the upcoming IIMB convocation, the institute said in a press release.

"Currently, 51 of our Pre-doc Fellows have secured admission to PhD programmes across the globe. This is the first PhD awarded to a Pre-doc Fellow, and we believe many more such achievements will follow," said Prof Anil B Suraj, Chairperson of the NSR Pre-doc programme.

Sadiq earned his doctorate in Information Systems from the Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras, under the guidance of Prof Saji K Mathew. His thesis examines key drivers and control strategies for misinformation on social media, assesses the effectiveness of digital nudges to reduce misinformation on encrypted messaging platforms, and explores the socio-psychological factors that influence users to share health-related misinformation.

The research offers significant implications for public health communication. Prof Rishikesha T Krishnan, Director, IIMB, said the achievement reflects the academic rigour and thoughtful design that have shaped the NSR Pre- doc Fellowship from its inception.

"We remain committed to strengthening the manage- ment research pipeline through such initiatives and look forward to many more such milestones," he added. Launched in 2018, the NSR Pre-doctoral Fellowship is a unique, fully funded apprenticeship programme designed to enhance diversity in management research and prepare Fellows for doctoral studies at leading institutions in India and abroad.

To date, 51 NSR Pre-doc Fellows have been admitted to PhD programmes worldwide.