Nagar grew up in India and studied Computer Science at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. He came to the US to study engineering at Dartmouth College and became a programmer. He later decided to switch careers and went to Wharton School and earned a PhD in Accounting.

Nagar studies how management can use accounting data to understand and improve the performance of their organizations. His research is cited as an authority in amicus briefs on nondiscrimination and equality filed by top US companies (Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon, etc.,) in several Federal Appeals Courts and the US Supreme Court.