ProfShankar Sankaran

I supervise PhD students, especially experienced project management practitioners who pursue academic research as well as international students who want to conduct research in project management-related topics.

My supervision style is based on mutual respect between student and supervisor. I treat my PhD student as a scholar who is knowledgeable about the topic of research, she/he is pursuing and is passionate about completing the study. I see my role more as a guide to help scholars to achieve their goal. I am flexible and responsive to the needs of the scholars I am supervising. I also value joint supervision with other supervisors who can provide an alternative perspective to the scholars. I was a finalist for the UTS Vice-Chancellor's award for research excellence for the supervisor of the year award in 2025.

The research topics of PhD students I am supervising now include: Development of a blockchain framework for the construction sector; Standpoint complexity: A human-centric framework for leading, managing and governing complex systems; Evaluation of PMO as a service: An application of P3M3 in high-tech organisations; Data driven decision making and its effectiveness in capital projects; Sociotechnical systems for human-robot teaming;​​ Urban navigation for older adults: A design research study into adaptive wayfinding, spatial cognition, and environmental stress​ and Design, development and evaluation of an ESG reporting solution with real-time analytics for infrastructure projects and More than machines: Systematic validation of human-centered sociotechnical principles for human-robot teaming projects in the construction industry.

My research interests are in:

Organisational Project Management
Sociotechnical Systems
Project Leadership
Systems Thinking
Action Research