Dr. Nikhil VP

Since August 2018, Dr. Nikhil has been associated with the University of Stirling as a faculty member in Marketing. Dr. Nikhil currently serves in multiple roles at the university as Associate Professor of Marketing, Program Director for the BSc Management program, and Head of Sports and Games.

Earlier in the teaching career, Dr. Nikhil was associated with Acharya Institute of Technology, Bangalore, India (January 2010 – February 2013), and Birla Institute of Technology – RAK Campus, UAE (March 2013 – September 2018). Dr. Nikhil, a strong educational professional skilled in research, people management & motivational public speaking, graduated with an MBA from Visvesvaraya Technological University, Karnataka, and earned a doctorate from Bharathiar University, TN, India. Prior to teaching, Dr. Nikhil performed the role of a Communicative English trainer as well as a Sales Consultant in earlier assignments in India.

Dr. Nikhil is an experienced teacher with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry for more than 16 years, having presented research papers at various national and international conferences held in India and the Middle East. A presentation was declared the best presentation at the international conference “Global Issues in Multidisciplinary Academic Research,” held in Dubai on 5th January 2015. Dr. Nikhil also holds publications in ABDC and Scopus-indexed international journals, and is a Member of the Board of Examinations for Ph.D. scholars at Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, India, as well as a lifetime member of the Indian Society for Training & Development, Kochin, India.

With extensive teaching experience in higher education across the UAE and India, Dr. Nikhil specialises in delivering student-centred learning experiences in areas such as Marketing, Consumer Behaviour, Advertising, International Business, Innovation Management, Responsible Business, Global Business Environment, and Management Challenge. The teaching philosophy is grounded in learner independence, inclusivity, and personalised academic support, with active engagement with students beyond formal classroom settings to enhance academic growth and career readiness.

Since 2021, alongside academic responsibilities, Dr. Nikhil has also served as Head of Sports and Games at the University of Stirling – RAK Campus, repositioning sports as a developmental platform for building leadership, resilience, teamwork, confidence, and student belonging beyond the classroom. A major milestone under this leadership was the launch of the university’s first large-scale Inter-University Football Championship in 2023, which brought together more than 16 universities from across the UAE. Following the success of this tournament, Dr. Nikhil introduced an innovative sustainability dimension by transforming it into the Stirling EcoKick Cup under the theme “Kick for a Cause.” This initiative resulted in the university committing AED 5,000 worth of plants toward UAE mangrove sustainability efforts, and later organising a tree plantation drive with Ras Al Khaimah Municipality. Girls’ participation in sports was also improved through the launch of the university’s first Girls’ Intra-University Cricket Tournament in 2025.

Educational Qualification

PhD, Bharathiar University, TN, India
MBA, Visvesvaraya Technological University, Karnataka
UGC-NET
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA, UK)

Professional Memberships

Member, Board of Examinations for Ph.D. Scholars, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, India
Lifetime Member, Indian Society for Training & Development, Kochin, India

Areas of Expertise

Marketing, Consumer Behaviour, Advertising, International Business, Innovation Management, Responsible Business, Global Business Environment, Management Challenge

Contact

[email protected]