Varun Rijhwani is a Faculty Member in the Communication Area at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Indore. He holds a Fellow Programme in Management – Communication (FPM – C) from MICA, Ahmedabad, an M.A. in English, and an MBA and BBA. Notably, he is also a CELTA (Certificate in Teaching English To Speakers of Other Languages) certified professional from the University of Cambridge, highlighting his expertise in effective pedagogical methods for English Language and Communication.
His research spans human-machine communication, human-robot interaction, computer-mediated communication, and artificial intelligence, investigating the affective, behavioural, and cognitive responses in human-machine interactions. His doctoral thesis explores the intricate dynamics underpinning how individuals integrate and appropriate digital voice assistants into their daily lives. This research was significantly informed during his tenure as a Visiting Research Scholar at the School of Communication, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, USA. He also continues as a Faculty Member at the Communication and Social Robotics (COMBOT) Labs, Western Michigan University, MI, USA.
Prior to joining IIM Indore, Dr. Rijhwani served as an Assistant Professor of Communication at S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai, and at the School of Business Management, NMIMS, Mumbai. He also held an Assistant Professor position at Prestige Institute of Management and Research, Indore.
His scholarly work has been published in leading academic journals such as Interacting with Computers, Language Sciences, Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, and Journal of Communication Pedagogy. His papers have been presented in international academic conferences and workshops, including MediaPsychology, ICA HMC, and the IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN).
