Dr. Rao is a faculty member in the Technology, Operations and Information Management Division at Babson College. His research and consulting focus is in the areas of innovation, implementation of innovation programs within firms, service innovation and strategic alignment. He teaches in the MBA and Executive Education programs. Prior to Babson, Dr. Rao taught at the University of Kentucky and at UCLA.

His research has appeared in The Sloan Management Review, The Academy of Management Executive, Production and Operations Management Journal, Quality Management in Health Care, Journal of Innovative Management, and the Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly. He has written over a dozen business cases that range in topics from Innovation, Operations Strategy, Strategic Alignment, Supply Chain Management, Quality Management, and Customer Service. His case "Velky Potraviny: Prague" won the 1999 CIBER (Center for International Business Education and Research) and POMS (Production and Operations Management Society) international case competition award. He has consulted for Benchmark Assisted Living, FitLinxx, Novartis, Lojack, Fidelity Investments, Boston Scientific Corporation and others.

In addition to those listed above, Dr. Rao's other areas of expertise are Innovation Implementation and Service Innovation.