"All who have worked with Narayanan know that he has long been, and continues to be, a wonderful contributor to Georgia Tech and the entire community in so many ways," says College of Management Dean Steve Salbu. "We are very fortunate to count him among our talented, dedicated faculty."

Of the honor, Jayaraman says: "Though awards like this are given out to individuals, it is indeed a collective recognition for all of us as I simply could not have made these contributions without significant support throughout the campus community."

He joined the College's faculty in 1986 and has served as area coordinator of the Finance faculty group since 1992. In 2007, he was named the Evelyn T. and Mallory C. Jones Professor. Through the years, he has won such educational honors as the E. Roe Stamps IV Excellence in Teaching Award and the College of Management's Core Professor of the Year Award.

Accomplishments of the College's Finance area during Jayaraman's tenure as area coordinator include the 2007 opening of the Ferris-Goldsmith Trading Floor, a state-of-the-art facility preparing students for careers in investment banking and financial services, as well as designation of the school as a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Program Partner. This designation signals that the school’s curriculum is well-suited to help graduates achieve CFA status, the investment industry’s most rigorous credentialing program.

Jayaraman played a leading role in development of Georgia Tech’s highly regarded Quantitative and Computational Finance (QCF) Program. A collaboration with Tech’s School of Mathematics and School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, the QCF program has established the Institute as a world leader in an increasingly important field. 

Through the years, he has volunteered his leadership in numerous capacities to holistically strengthen the Institute, including membership on the Academic Senate, Faculty Assembly, and Institute Executive Board from 1999 to 2003 and the Georgia Tech Athletic Association Board of Trustees from 2005 to the present. He’s also led efforts to improve Georgia Tech’s 403(b) retirement plan and increase faculty/staff understanding of the different retirement vehicles available at the Institute.

He has published numerous articles in leading academic journals including the Journal of Finance, Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Journal of Banking and Finance, Journal of Corporate Finance, Journal of Financial Markets, and Strategic Management Journal.