Innovation and entrepreneurship are cornerstones of economic and social progress. As the need for solutions to complex problems grows, it is increasingly important to understand and support the processes that fuel innovation and entrepreneurship.
My research contributes to this goal. In one stream of research, I investigate how to design and manage user communities (i.e., open source software communities), as well as understand the implications of these communities for firms and policy. A second stream of research investigates the factors that shape startup success, focusing on how knowledge, motives, and the use of particular processes (e.g., processes for building teams) shape entrepreneurial outcomes. A third stream examines how non-profit institutions can play a role in creating and/or strengthening markets in developing countries by providing widespread training and supporting coordination amongst market participants.I investigate these issues by analyzing novel, primary source data gathered directly from innovators and entrepreneurs through extensive interviews, fieldwork, and surveys.
The scholarly community has recognized my work through a Sloan Industry Studies Fellowship and seven best paper awards. Grants from the Kauffman Foundation, the Sloan Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), and the Illinois Campus Research Board have supported my research. Research findings have been disseminated through foundation reports, media outlets, and academic journal articles, as well as through invited policy and industry talks across the United States and Europe.
I currently serve as a Senior Editor at Organization Science; on the Editorial Review Board of the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal; on the boards of the Industry Studies Association and the Consortium on Competitiveness Cooperation (CCC); and as a member of the Executive Committee of the Technology & Management Division of the Academy of Management (2020-2025).
I completed my PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and earned bachelor’s degrees in bioengineering and economics from the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining academia, I worked at Morgan Stanley & Co. and McKinsey & Co., and volunteered with the American Red Cross, focusing on issues related to refugee resettlement and education.