Sadagopan received his Bachelor's degree in Engineering from Madras University in 1973. After working from 1973 to 1976 at the New Delhi consultancy firm M/S Engineers India Ltd. he moved the US to study for a Master's and a Doctoral degree at Purdue University. He later returned to India to teach at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (1980-1995), and the IIM Bangalore (1995-1999).