Dr Ganesh graduated in 1977 in the BE (Hons.) programme in Mechanical Engineering of the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) at Pilani, Rajasthan. In 1979, he received the M. Tech degree in Maintenance Engineering and Management and a Merit Prize from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras. During 1980-84, he pursued the doctoral research programme in the Industrial Engineering and Management Faculty at IIT Madras. His research work involved the application of time series forecasting models and system dynamics concepts to educational planning in Tamilnadu schools. He received the Ph. D. degree in 1986.He worked as an Assistant Professor in the Education Management Sector at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bangalore, during 1986-87. Since 1987, he worked in the Industrial Engineering and Management Faculty at IIT Madras, as Assistant Professor till 1993, then as Associate Professor till December 1996, and then as Professor until April 2004, when the Department of Management Studies was established in the Institute. Later, he served as the Head of the Department of Management Studies at IIT Madras from July 2004 till July 2008.