Bharadwaj's scholarly pursuits strive to combine academic rigor with practical relevance, and often explore the interface between marketing and other disciplines.

His articles are published in such journals as Journal of Marketing, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, International Journal of Research in Marketing, Journal of Retailing, and Journal of Product Innovation Management, and he has written several Harvard Business School Publishing case studies that bring his academic research into the classroom.

He is often recognized for his research and teaching activity, including being named recipient of the Haslam Summer Scholars Program Research Award (2020), among the Top 40 Undergraduate Business Professors by Poets & Quants (2017), Allen H. Keally Excellence in Teaching Award by the Haslam College of Business (2017), and Harold H. Maynard Award finalist for article published in Journal of Marketing (2008).

He has also served as a consultant and seminar leader for government clients and leading multinational corporations, and on the faculty at Temple University, Babson College, University of Texas at Austin, and University of Chicago. Prior to earning his doctorate, he worked in product and price management at Miller Brewing Company.