Dr. Kartavya Mandot has been awarded a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Construction Management from IMSR for his research titled “Ascendancy of planning, technicality & financial structuring (stakeholder analysis) – large scale construction projects”.
Kartavya Mandot, founder of KM Core & Decor and a civil engineer with hands-on experience across some of the most demanding project types in the industry, has completed a PhD in Construction Management from IMSR. The achievement caps an academic and professional journey that began with a diploma in civil engineering and has since taken from residential sites to the construction of one of India’s marquee sporting venues, the Gwalior International Cricket Stadium.
An Academic Foundation Built Step by Step
Kartavya’s academic path in civil engineering has been deliberate and progressive, each stage building on the last. It began with a Diploma in Civil Engineering from MSU, followed by a Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering from GTU , then pursued a master’s degree from NICMAR, one of the country’s premier institutes for construction management education, before going on to complete a PhD in Construction Management from IMSR.
“Each degree answered a question the last one left open,” kartavya. “The diploma gave me the fundamentals. The B.E. gave me the engineering depth. NICMAR introduced me to construction management as its own discipline — how projects are actually run, financed, and delivered. But it was on real sites, managing real budgets and real deadlines, that I realized how much of that discipline still needed deeper research. That’s what pushed me toward the PhD.”
A Career Built on the Ground
Parallel to this academic journey, kartavya has built extensive, hands-on experience across nearly every major category of construction. This includes residential construction, commercial construction, road and infrastructure projects, and industrial buildings. Among the most notable projects associated with his career is the Gwalior International Cricket Stadium, a large-scale sporting infrastructure project that demanded precision engineering, tight coordination, and the ability to manage significant technical and financial complexity.
Beyond core construction, He has also led residential and commercial interior projects, bringing the same rigor applied to structural work into the design and finishing stages of a building. This dual expertise — construction and interiors — eventually led to found KM Core & Decor, a company offering integrated civil construction and interior turnkey design services under one roof.
“What struck me across all of it was that the technical challenges are only half the story. Every large project is also a financial and logistical puzzle — managing costs, timelines, and on-ground realities that don’t always show up in a textbook. That gap between theory and practice is exactly what I wanted to study formally.”
The PhD Journey: Why Construction Management, Why Now
Handling big-scale construction — from stadiums to industrial facilities — exposed to on-ground challenges that were as much financial and managerial as they were technical: cost overruns, resource allocation, contractor coordination, and the operational pressures that arise when a project’s scale grows beyond what conventional planning tools can fully anticipate.
“You can be a strong engineer and still watch a project struggle because of financial mismanagement, poor scheduling, or a breakdown in coordination between stakeholders,” Kartavya explained. “I wanted to deep-dive into that space — to understand, at a research level, why these challenges happen so consistently, and what can genuinely be done differently. That’s what my PhD in Construction Management gave me the space to explore.”
The doctoral research allowed him to step back from the daily pressures of active project sites and examine, in a structured and rigorous way, the technical and financial patterns that repeat across large-scale construction projects — insights that are difficult to extract in real time, in the middle of managing a live project.
Looking Ahead: Applying the Research
For Kartavya, the PhD is not a purely academic milestone — it is a practical toolkit that will directly shape how KM Core & Decor operates and grows. The research findings are expected to inform how the company approaches project planning, budgeting, risk management, and large-project execution going forward, particularly as KM Core & Decor takes on more complex, large-scale construction and interior assignments.
“Every insight from this research is going straight into how we plan and run projects at KM Core & Decor — from how we manage costs on large builds to how we anticipate on-ground challenges before they become expensive problems. Having spent years on-site and now having spent years researching the discipline behind those experiences, I feel far better equipped to take on bigger, more complex projects — and to help clients avoid the pitfalls I’ve seen firsthand.”
Kartavya also expects the research to strengthen KM Core & Decor’s advisory capabilities, allowing the company to offer clients more informed guidance during the planning and budgeting stages of a project — not just during execution.
Indian Management School and Research Centre is accredited partner of Skill Development Council Canada and registered with the United Kingdom Registrar & Accreditation System – UKRAS the United Kingdom-based global independent accreditation and certification body for the provision of distance learning management programs. IMSR Institute was honored with the National Education Leadership Award for excellence in distance education, and the Excellence in Economic Development Award for Education Excellence.
The Ph.D. program at IMSR India is a distinguished offering designed for working professionals and scholars aiming to advance their expertise in a chosen field. With flexible online learning, expert faculty guidance, and a focus on research-driven outcomes, the program supports academic excellence and career growth. IMSR emphasizes real-world applicability, enabling scholars to integrate advanced knowledge with industry practices. The institute’s commitment to innovation, quality education, and global relevance makes its doctoral program highly sought after. Whether in management, technology, or allied disciplines, IMSR’s Ph.D. journey fosters critical thinking, leadership, and impactful contributions to academia and industry alike.
Indian Management School & Research Centre
New Mumbai | Dubai | Sharjah | Cameroon
WhatsApp: 9819120140
Helpline – 9819120140
info@imsrindia.com
