Dr. Kedar Thakur is an Assistant Professor in the OB & HRM area at the Goa Institute of 
Management. He earned his doctorate in Human Resource Management from XLRI 
Jamshedpur, where he was awarded the Gold Medal for Outstanding Doctoral Graduate. Before
his doctoral journey, he completed an MBA in HRM from the School of Human Resource 
Management, XIM Bhubaneswar, an FDP in Advanced Research and Data Analysis from IIM 
Kozhikode, and a B.Sc. in Mathematics. He was also associated with XIM University in the 
capacity of Visiting Faculty. 

His research broadly examines the evolving role of AI in the HR–OB spectrum, focusing on 
employer branding and ethical AI adoption. Methodologically, he specializes in experimental 
designs and quantitative research methods, with expertise in randomized experimental flows, 
quantitative text analysis, and eye-tracking. His doctoral dissertation, “Covering the Funny 
Side of GenAI: Exploring Recruitment Through Eye-Tracking, Text Analysis, and Pre-Hire 
Outcomes”, investigates how humor in job advertisements shapes applicant perceptions, 
cognitive processing, and impression management strategies.

Dr. Thakur has presented his research at leading global conferences, including the Academy of 
Management (AoM) in Denmark (2025) and Seattle (2022), the European Institute for 
Advanced Studies in Management (EIASM) in Luxembourg (2024), and the Australia and New 
Zealand Academy of Management (ANZAM) in Wellington (2023). His work has been 
published in peer-reviewed ABDC A* and A journals, with several manuscripts in the FT50 
and ABDC A* pipeline. He has also co-authored teaching cases published with Ivey Publishing 
and featured in Harvard Business Publishing. He has also attended the Doctoral Consortium on 
Teaching organized by the Centre for Teaching and Learning, IIM Bangalore.

His scholarship has been widely recognized, with
Best Paper Award, CERE 2023, Indian Institute of Management Indore
Best Paper Award, MERC 2023, Indian Institute of Management Kashipur (OBHR Track)
Best Paper Award, BSIM 2023, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad
Best Paper Award, AIRC 2022, Indian Institute of Management Lucknow (OBHR Track)

Dr. Thakur has facilitated workshops on experimental methods in management research for 
doctoral scholars at XLRI Jamshedpur and conducted a case discussion workshop on Human 
Resource Planning at XIM University. He serves as a reviewer for reputed journals, including 
the Journal of Business Ethics (FT50/ABDC A), Annals of Tourism Research (ABDC A*), 
Management and Labour Studies, and Business Perspectives and Research.

Beyond academia, he has contributed to consulting projects, including co-consultant with 
Godrej Interio, leading an eye-tracking-based research project on attention spans, and acted as 
an assessor with Damodar Valley Corporation, supporting a multi-method competency 
assessment centre through competency mapping and detailed assessment reports.

Before his academic career, Dr. Thakur was the Founder of Integrity, an entrepreneurial 
venture in the education sector. He successfully scaled the organization to multiple branches, 
secured ISO certification, developed assessment tools for learning outcomes, managed faculty 
hiring and onboarding, and designed training programs to strengthen professional development 
and classroom management.