Across Continents and Disciplines: Meet Prof. Dr. Muru Odiathevar
What do mathematics, engineering, business, and five countries have in common? They're all part of Prof. Dr. Murugaraj Odiathevar's journey to KLU Saigon. As the new Associate Professor of Logistics and Business Analytics, he draws on his interdisciplinary experience to explore how AI and data science can help build more resilient supply chains.
We spoke with him about his journey to KLU, his teaching philosophy, and what everyday life in Vietnam has taught him about resilience and resourcefulness.
Having worked in different countries and professions, what made joining KLU the right next step for you?
My path has taken me from mathematics to engineering to business. As I like to put it, ‘The Universe has blown me around’: from Singapore to England, New Zealand, South Korea, and now Vietnam. Along the way, I’ve worked as a teacher, risk analyst, software engineer, data scientist, and professor. KLU is where all these threads come together. It lets me move freely between research and practice in an international, entrepreneurial environment that values connecting disciplines and perspectives, which is exactly how I like to work.
Your work brings together AI, data science, and supply chain management. Where do you hope your research can make a difference?
I’m passionate about technological innovation and making supply chains more resilient. Innovation fascinates me because new technologies keep changing how businesses operate and create value, opening up new opportunities along the way. Resilience matters because supply chains are only as strong as their ability to anticipate disruptions, assess risk, and adapt.
My research sits at the intersection of the two. I hope it helps organizations better prepare for uncertainty and make more informed decisions while balancing economic growth with society’s expectations.
What is your guiding principle when it comes to teaching?
Connection. Students don’t care how much you know until they know that you care. Once that trust is there, I can inspire them to find their own niche and nudge them to achieve their best.
How would your students and colleagues describe you?
Hopefully as kind, helpful, and trustworthy, but also firm when it matters.
What has surprised you recently? Whether through your research, teaching, or experiences in Vietnam, has anything changed your point of view?
What has surprised me is the resilience people show in their everyday lives in developing and emerging economies. People adapt in remarkable ways, often with very few resources.
It’s shown me that there’s more than one way to measure efficiency. “Fast food” in Vietnam isn’t McDonald’s. “Fresh food” doesn’t come from the refrigerated section of a supermarket. Informal networks of family and neighbors provide a kind of insurance that isn’t captured in official statistics. And a motorbike carrying a refrigerator through traffic is truly a logistics system of its own.
