First NSR pre-doc fellow completes PhD, milestone for IIM Bangalore

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-intensive programme.

Sadiq, part of the inaugural 2018–19 NSR Pre-doc cohort, successfully defended his doctoral thesis at the Indian Institute 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.

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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 management 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.