Meet Professor Pooja Thakur-Wernz Professor Thakur-Wernz has taught courses in strategic management, international business, and international management.
Professor Pooja Thakur-WernzWhat attracted you to Washington and Lee University?
I fell in love with the sense of community that is so strong at W&L. During my visit to the campus for my job interview, I found it refreshing to see that students and faculty were greeting me and not looking at their smartphones. I think W&L is a great place to be for both faculty and students alike.
What are you teaching this fall?
Strategic Management (BUS 398)
Where do your research interests lie?
I look at how firms from emerging economies such as India and China, innovate to catch up with firms from developed countries. I also look at how developed country firms use offshoring and outsourcing for their R&D projects. My research focuses on the pharmaceutical industry.
Besides your work, what’s something that you’re passionate about?
I love traveling and exploring new countries.
What’s on your must-read or must-watch list?
I am currently on the new faculty book club and we are going to read “How Learning Works” by Ambrose and others. So that book is on my must-read list as I think it will make me a better teacher.
What is the hardest lesson you had to learn as a student?
Managing my own schedule and making sure I was making good use of my time.
About Professor Thakur-Wernz
Pooja Thakur-Wernz joined W&L in July of 2020 as an assistant professor of business administration. Previously, she was an assistant professor at Virginia Tech and Wichita State University.
Thakur-Wernz holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Osmania University, an M.B.A from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and a Ph.D. in management from Rutgers University.
Professor Thakur-Wernz’s research focuses on the impact of strategic choices made by firms on their international expansion and innovation-related activities. Specifically, she has two streams of research: (1) impact of R&D offshoring and outsourcing strategies of multinational enterprises (MNEs) on their new product development projects, and (2) international expansion strategies and innovation by emerging economy MNEs. Professor Thakur-Wernz’s industry focus is on the global biopharmaceutical industry, and her country focus is India, her home country, and one of the fastest-growing emerging economies.
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