Harsha Gangadharbatla

Harsha Gangadharbatla was named interim dean of UNC Hussman in August 2026. Having previously served as UNC Hussman’s senior associate dean for academic and faculty affairs and the Hugh Morton Distinguished Professor, he brings more than a decade of administrative experience in higher education.

Before joining Carolina, Gangadharbatla helped establish the College of Media, Communication and Information at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he served as associate dean of faculty development and founding chair of the Department of Advertising, Public Relations and Media.

A past president of the American Academy of Advertising and former head of the advertising division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Gangadharbatla is the recipient of multiple career awards, including the Charles H. Sandage Award for Teaching Excellence and the William Payden Award for Faculty Excellence.

His research interests include the role of technology in advertising, the role of advertising in society and environmental communication. He has authored (or co-authored) over 70 publications in various outlets including conference proceedings.

Education

• Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin
• M.A., Michigan State University
• B.E., Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT, India)