Growing up, Dr. Nikhitha Yathiraju observed her parents’ diligent work as small business owners to advance their business capabilities through the use of technology. She noticed how committed they were to researching the cutting-edge technologies of the time and implementing them whenever possible. Their dedication to up-leveling their business through technology opened up new doors and set them apart from their competitors. They didn’t realize it at the time, but it changed the course of their daughter’s future as she became fascinated with how small enterprises could use technology to increase their impact and differentiate themselves in competitive environments.

Technologically talented, Dr. Yathiraju studied electronics communication and engineering in India and went on to secure her Ph.D. in information technology from the University of Cumberlands a few years later. She has a deep level of technology applications in the business sector, but her passion for targeting small businesses in her research and product development is unwavering. No matter how small a business is, its access to data is ever-growing. Learning how to tap into that data, turn it into something useful, and rely on it for business decisions can only be enabled through technology.

Emerging technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Technologies, and Cybersecurity, are becoming more impressive at a rate never before seen in history and Dr. Yathiraju researches those technologies, interprets their application potential, and illustrates how to scale them in small businesses. So much of the conversation around technology applications focuses on large enterprises, but in small enterprises, the same technology can have just as big of an impact. In a paper published in 2022, titled “Investigating the Use of an Artificial Intelligence Model in an ERP Cloud-Based System,” Dr. Yathiraju dove into how AI can revolutionize business operations. After just a few months since publishing the article, it has already received over 40 citations from other researchers.

Though research is a large part of what Dr. Yathiraju dedicates her time to, she also has a full-time job in the oil & gas industry. She works for Pacific Gas & Electric as a lead automation engineer, helping bring new technologies into an industry that is constantly looking for higher yields, shorter delivery times, and lower prices. At this point, technology is one of the major levers to pull when making that happen. By automating tasks in the office and in the field, Pacific Gas & Electric is able to cut down on human processing time and provide better results to its customers.

Miraculously finding time to research complex concepts, Dr. Yathiraju was honored with the International Best Researcher Award in 2023 and another similar award in the artificial intelligence niche in 2022. Knowing that AI is going to dominate the technological landscape of the future, along with cloud computing, Dr. Yathiraju has dedicated her research career to these topics, becoming an expert in her field and continuing to push advancements to new levels.

Very recently, Dr. Yathiraju was one of the key members of a patent filing that focuses on reducing the demand placed on HR professionals. Today, HR experts are tasked with an unmanageable amount of work; sourcing candidates, sifting through resumes, and interviewing are just part of the equation. These specialists take the lead on recruiting efforts while also providing support to existing employees. As the administrative work piles up, Dr. Yathiraju’s patent will help reduce the intensive demand by relying on AI and Machine Learning to free up more time for HR teams, allowing them to focus only on the most value-add activities.

Though her parents never could have anticipated the seed their careers as business owners would sow, Dr. Yathiraju’s career has grown into something extraordinary. The way she thinks about, understands, and evangelizes technology across industries is something that many researchers can only dream of. She’s not only changing the way that small businesses serve their customers, but she’s also making a difference in how large-scale organizations and entire industries shape their relationship with technology. We live in a world that will continue becoming further intertwined with technological tools, and without people like Dr. Yathiraju, we would never be able to tap into the full potential of these tools.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 17, 2023 11:51 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).