Dr. Rakesh Belwal a proud alumnus of Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow from batch of 1996-1998, currently he is a Professor at Sohar University, Oman, with over 20 years of teaching and research experience across institutions in Australia, Oman, Ethiopia, and India. He is an Honorary Associate Professor at UQ Business School, University of Queensland, and a life member of AIMA. His expertise spans executive education, AI, services marketing, and consumer perception analysis. Dr. Belwal has secured prestigious research grants exceeding $200,000 and led consultancy projects worth $150,000. As the Founder Coordinator of Sohar University’s Executive MBA Program and former Acting Dean, he has contributed significantly to academic leadership. He has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and Scopus-ranked publications. Recognized with awards like the UITP (MENA) PTX2 Award for ‘Knowledge & Research,’ he actively mentors and guides research initiatives. Fluent in multiple languages, he fosters global collaborations. He holds a Ph.D. in Internet Marketing of Tourism from Kumaun University. His contributions extend to community development, curriculum design, and academic administration.

More recently, selected as a Social Scientist for a prestigious NASA-awarded research project entitled “Impact Assessment of the Decision and Information System for the Coastal Waters of Oman (DISCO).” in his role as Social Scientist, will play a lead role in the analysis of stakeholder engagement, adoption challenges, and the socio-economic implications of the DISCO system in Oman together with another social scientist from the US.