Congratulations to Dr. Sanket Ramchandra Patole!

Sanket successfully defended his PhD dissertation on December 22, 2025 at The University of Texas at Tyler. His dissertation was titled Advancing Ethical Innovation in Human–AI Collaboration: Trust and Legitimacy in Technology-Mediated Teams. He sought to explore trust in AI, which is a pressing question as it becomes embedded in organizations. More specifically, he used a Human Resource Development (HRD) perspective on AI-enabled work by developing a multilevel model of Socially Legitimized Trust (SLT) in AI-mediated teamwork, demonstrating that trust in AI is formed at the individual (micro) level, inclusion is negotiated at the team (meso) level, and fairness and legitimacy are authorized at the institutional (macro) level. Grounded in technology-mediated teams and the lived workplace experiences of Women of Color, this research shows how performance-oriented, data-driven systems can unintentionally reproduce inequities unless technical design, team practices, and governance structures are intentionally aligned.

Sanket is currently working as a Senior Analyst of Human Capital Management at a leading U.S. healthcare organization, and is now seeking a tenure-track faculty role that aligns with his research interests.