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Just three weeks into his new position as senior data scientist at Schaeffler Group, the COVID-19 pandemic sent Balaji Chandrasekaran FEMBA ’19, home to his wife, six-year-old daughter and one-year-old son.  

Chandrasekaran had spent the weeks leading up to the pandemic adjusting to life in Charlotte, North Carolina and now had to quickly adapt to both a brand-new job and working from home.   

But Chandrasekaran is no stranger to big changes. He moved to the U.S in 2006 to obtain his first master’s degree at the University of Central Florida, an adventure that eventually brought him to Irvine and finally to Charlotte and Schaeffler Group, a leading global supplier to the automotive and industrial sectors. At Schaeffler, Chandrasekaran’s talents are bringing AI—the driving force of Industry 4.0—to the manufacturing world.  

4G Engineer 

Chandrasekaran first entered the engineering world in the midst of the 4G wireless revolution—landing positions in wireless communications and in-patient monitoring technology.  

“The beauty of engineering is problem solving,” said Chandrasekaran. “I enjoy finding a logical way to approach problems. I was building a lot of products and had a lot of fun with them.” 

His love of problem solving led him to Irvine, where he served as algorithm engineer and later an advanced and senior algorithm engineer at Masimo, a manufacturer of non-invasive patient monitoring technologies.  

“The work experience was very satisfying, as the products that I built were touching people’s lives and improving patient care,” he said. “It was an exciting journey to be part of their rapid growth.”  

As Industry 4.0 ramped up, Chandrasekaran knew he wanted to be at the forefront of developing technologies.  

“I knew that I wanted to be closer to the business side and gain a 360-degree view of the changes happening around me,” he explained. “I had developed a core expertise in particular fields—and I had a strong technical background—but I felt that I was lacking the breadth I needed to get to become a leader in digital transformation.” 

Merage Bound 

While still serving as a senior algorithm engineer at Masimo, Chandrasekaran looked for an MBA program that would play to his strengths.  

“Other programs were more of a traditional MBA,” he said. “I was specifically looking for a program that focused on digital transformation and help me become a horizontal data scientist—what they call a ‘unicorn’ in many industries.” 

Chandrasekaran explained that the data scientists making the most impact during Industry 4.0 “are able to adapt quickly and bring in ideas from all types of sectors.” 

The Fully Employed MBA Program at The Paul Merage School of Business with its holistic curriculum on digital transformation helped Chandrasekaran unlock these skills. At the Merage School, he was able to enhance his data science expertise with new knowledge about strategy, negotiation, economics, finance and making high-stakes decisions—competencies tailored to lead in the digital age. 

He said: “Advanced data analytics was one of the coolest classes because it was all about bringing engineering into the business world.” 

Chandrasekaran also flexed his leadership and mentoring muscles in the Data Analytics Club at the Merage School, where he guided other students who were interested in learning about data analytics for the very first time.  

Joining the 4.0 Revolution  

After earning his MBA, Chandrasekaran got his chance to join the sweeping changes of Industry 4.0. He also got more than he bargained for as the pandemic began altering the landscape of the manufacturing world.  

“The Merage School teaches you how to thrive under times of uncertainty. That is the key leadership skill that we constantly develop during the program,” he said. “Many assignments required us to be thrown into new roles, learn on the fly and simply adapt. The scenarios are like pilot training, and we learned how to handle them.”  

At Schaeffler, Chandrasekaran has been tapped to build the analytics and AI infrastructure for Industry 4.0 transformation and digitalization efforts for the U.S region. Harnessing his expertise in machine learning and AI, Chandrasekaran is helping to build a business strategy centered around hybrid products—a portfolio of both physical and digital products.  

“Manufacturing may seem like a traditional industry, but AI plays a key role. Boundaries between physical products and digital solutions are fading away and customers are continuously seeking greater value in our products,” he explained.  

Chandrasekaran reports that the pandemic has accelerated this digital transformation.  

“The pandemic has made it absolutely mandatory for manufacturers to adapt digitalization to stay competitive and to emerge stronger post-pandemic,” he said. “Most manufacturers have made strategic investments in digital transformation, IOT, cloud computing, AI, robotics and 3D printing. These technologies will transform traditional manufacturing to smart manufacturing within the next three to four years.” 

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to shorten project timelines, shrink cost margins and disrupt supply chains, Chandrasekaran emphasizes that adaptability is the key to success.  

“The ability to learn and adapt quickly and make disciplined, data-driven decisions are key to handling this period of uncertainty,” said Chandrasekaran. “The skills I acquired at the Merage School are helping me navigate this exciting journey.”