Usha Subramanian has had the rare opportunity to work across a diverse range of domains. She began her career at BITS Pilani as a faculty member in the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems, where she taught both undergraduate and postgraduate students. Incorporating new methods for assessments and examinations were her forte. In 1995, she was instrumental in introducing computer-based examinations for both formative and summative examinations across foundation and core courses in Computer Science and Information Systems. She also served as the Chief Coordinator of the Centre for Software Development at BITS, where students worked on industry-sponsored software projects.

Leveraging her rich expertise in a discipline growing at breakneck speed, she went on to establish a learning solutions company, delivering value to customers from ideation to design to implementation of learning solutions. She conceptualised, designed, and created e-learning modules for the K–12 segment from Classes 1 to 6. The technology-enabled learning products included stunning visual effects, a focus on cognitive development, and scope for experimentation.

She then took on a leadership role at Mphasis, a mid-sized Indian IT organisation, in 2007, focusing on HR excellence and learning. One of her biggest achievements was getting Mphasis certified as a PCCM (People Capability Maturity Model) Level 5 company, awarded by the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. For managing diverse portfolios at Mphasis, Usha was awarded the CEO Award for Exceptional Leadership in 2015 by the then CEO.

At the Myanmar Institute of Information Technology (MIIT), she strengthened her computer science expertise, implemented processes and policies in this young university, extended the possibilities for newer assessments and examinations, built curricula for academic programmes, and managed information technology systems.

On returning to India in May 2022, she joined another start-up educational institution, Chanakya University, as a Professor of Computer Science. She furthered her passion for assessments and examinations by implementing newer methods in both core and foundation courses.

Usha strongly believes that she has seen more than two sides of a coin. In her career, she has worn multiple hats at the same time, each distinct from the others. She is passionate about assessment methods in the university system, especially those that are strongly aligned with outcome-based education. A significant contribution of hers has been the design of an assessment framework employed across all courses, irrespective of type.

She is an AI enthusiast and views it through a positive lens. She endeavours to help faculty and learners appreciate the use of AI ethically. She has conducted several training programmes in this space for school and university teachers.

Usha holds two master’s degrees from BITS Pilani, the first in Computer Applications and the second in Software Systems, for which she was a gold medallist, and a bachelor’s degree in commerce from Osmania University.