Dr Parag Mehta (P.D.)

I am Dr Parag Mehta, Lecturer in the Department of Data Analytics and Digitalisation at the School of Business and Economics, Maastricht University. 

I was trained as a pure mathematician:

PhD, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces 

MSc, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay 

BSc, St Xavier's College, Bombay

Before joining Maastricht University, I spent fourteen years in leadership roles within the United World Colleges movement. I headed the mathematics department at UWC Mahindra College (India) and UWC Maastricht (Netherlands), and taught at UWC Dilijan (Armenia). Across those years my wife Kermeen and I served as house parents in fully residential settings, working in loco parentis with students from over a hundred countries. That experience, more than anything else, shapes how I think about teaching: mathematics taught alongside music and literature, classrooms built around curiosity rather than coverage, and the conviction that good teaching is inseparable from pastoral attention.

As Programme Leader of the MSc Digital Business and Economics, I design curricula that bridge mathematics, data science, ethics, and emerging technologies. My teaching rests on Socratic inquiry, ethical dissonance, and problem-based learning, and is oriented toward helping students become independent, critical thinkers.

Nominated by Maastricht University for the ISO Leraar van het Jaar 2026 

Outstanding Tutor Award, School of Business and Economics, Maastricht University (2023);

University of Chicago Outstanding Educator Award (2020);

Certification of Recognition for Exceptional Teaching, Teacher Tribute Initiative, Stanford University (2013);

Finalist (3rd), John F. Nevins Outstanding Educator Award, Westfield State University (2004).

Professional Teaching Qualifications:

University Teaching Qualification (UTQ/BKO), Maastricht University (2024);

Innovation in Educational Leadership, EdLab, Maastricht University (2024-2025);

Problem-Based Learning Training, Maastricht University (2023);

Quality Assurance and Assessment, Maastricht University (2023);

Vision and Skills 1: QA and Policy, Maastricht University (2023).

Safeguarding and Child Protection:

Five EduCare/Tes Global Level 2 certifications (2019-2020): Safeguarding Young People, Child Protection for International Schools, Child Neglect for International Schools, Online Safety for International Schools, and Dealing with Bereavement and Loss.