Professor Scott Stern

MIT Sloan School of Management

Scott Stern is the David Sarnoff Professor of Management and he explores how innovation and entrepreneurship differ from more traditional economic activities, and the consequences of these differences for strategy and policy.  His research in the economics of innovation and entrepreneurship focuses on entrepreneurial strategy, innovation-driven entrepreneurial ecosystems, and innovation policy and management.  Recent studies include the impact of clusters on entrepreneurship, the role of institutions in shaping the accumulation of scientific and technical knowledge, and the drivers and consequences of entrepreneurial strategy.

Stern has worked widely with practitioners in bridging the gap between academic research and the practice of innovation and entrepreneurship.  This includes advising start-ups and other growth firms in the area of entrepreneurial strategy, as well as working with governments and other stakeholders on policy issues related to competitiveness and regional performance.

Professor Ashish Arora

Duke University - Fuqua School of Business

Ashish Arora is the Rex D. Adams Professor of Business Administration at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. 

His research focuses on the economics of technology and technical change. Arora's research has included the study of technology intensive industries such as software, biotechnology and chemicals, the economics of information security, and the role of patents and licensing in promoting technology startups. He has studied the rise of the software industry and the pharmaceutical industry in emerging economies. His current research focuses on the management of intellectual property and licensing in corporations, and innovation based entrepreneurship.

He serves as departmental editor, Management Science, served as an editor of Research Policy between 2008 - 2014, and is on the editorial board of Strategic Management Journal, Research Policy, Industrial and Corporate Change, Information Economics and Policy, Journal of Evolutionary Economics. In the past, he has served on advisory panels to the Secretary of Commerce, the National Academy of Sciences, and The Association for Computing Machinery.

Professor Elicia Maine

Symposium Co-Chair

Simon Fraser University

W.J. VanDusen Professor of Innovation & Entrepreneurship  
Academic Director, Invention to Innovation (i2I)
Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University

Specializing in technological innovation and science entrepreneurship, Professor Elicia Maine has used her expertise at home and abroad to guide innovation policy and strategy and to mentor emerging talent. Founding educational coordinator for New Ventures BC, and Academic Director of  Invention to Innovation, a novel graduate program in Science & Technology Commercialization, Prof. Maine was awarded the 2017 TD / Canada Trust Distinguished Teaching Award and was a finalist for BC TECH’s 2016 “Person of the Year” award.  An interdisciplinary scholar and engaged educator, she holds a PhD in Technology Management & Materials Engineering from the University of Cambridge  and master’s degrees in Technology & Policy and Materials Engineering from MIT. 

Prof. Maine teaches “Managing Technological Innovation,” "Managing Innovation" and “Lab to Market” at SFU’s Beedie School of Business.  She has published in leading technology management journals, such as Research Policy, R&D Management, Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, and Technovation.  To reach scientist-entrepreneurs on their own turf, she also publishes her technology innovation research in top science and technology journals, including Nature Nanotechnology and Nature Materials.  Prof. Maine has presented her research at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and at the Academy of Management (AOM). She serves on the Boards of Directors of the Foresight Cleantech Accelerator and of BC Innovation Council’s New Ventures BC.

Dr. Sarah Lubik

Symposium Co-Chair

Simon Fraser University

Director of Entrepreneurship
Executive Director, Charles Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship
Co-Champion, Technology Entrepreneurship @ SFU
Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University

Sarah Lubik is a lecturer in Entrepreneurship & Innovation at Beedie, Co-Champion of the Technology Entrepreneurship@SFU Program and was appointed SFU's first Director of Entrepreneurship, aligning, supporting and accelerating entrepreneurship education and early stage incubation at SFU. She is also a certified expert business coach and a mentor at SFU's Venture Connection incubator.

In 2016, Dr. Lubik was named one of ten Canadian Innovation Leaders assisting with the Government of Canada's Inclusive Innovation Agenda.

Dr. Lubik has published in leading technology management journals such as R&D Management, Technovation and Long Range Planning. Her research is currently focused on stimulating and supporting university-based entrepreneurship with a focus on interdisciplinary entrepreneurship and innovation, and commercialization. In 2013, she received the Dr. Theo Williamson Outstanding Paper Award by Emerald Publishing for “Market-pull and technology-push in manufacturing start-ups in emerging industries” published in the Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management.

Prior to joining the Beedie School of Business, Dr. Lubik worked in the Centre for Strategy and Performance at the Institute for Manufacturing at the University of Cambridge. She has also worked as a business coach, specializing in market analysis, and project manager and coordinator on a number of international European projects supporting start-up firms through incubation, finance and policy.

Dr. Gabriela Apiou

Massachusetts General Hospital - Research Institute

Director of Strategic Alliances, Director of Translational Research Training and Development

Gabriela Apiou, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Dermatology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. She received her PhD degree in Biomedical Engineering from Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Métiers (ENSAM) Angers, France in 1998 and her Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches (HDR) in Health and Life Sciences from University of Paris Est Créteil, France in 2010. Between 1995 and 2011, Dr. Apiou worked for global leaders in the biomedical engineering and pharmaceutical industry where she built and established an international research and development entity focusing on inhaled therapeutics and delivery devices. Her expertise is in applying physics and engineering principles to solve relevant clinical problems.

Since 2011, she has been working at Massachusetts General Hospital as the Director of the Translational Research Core for the Wellman Center for Photomedicine and since 2015 as the Director of Strategic Alliances, Director of Translational Research Training and Development for the Mass General Research Institute. In these roles she is leading the development and implementation of novel initiatives enabling scientists in academia to translate their discoveries to new therapeutics and diagnostics through robust collaborations with industry.

Professor Riccardo Fini

University of Bologna

Riccardo Fini is Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management at the University of Bologna (UniBo) and a Fellow at Imperial College London (ICL). He serves as Director of the Entrepreneurship Hub and of the Master in Entrepreneurship at Bologna Business School. Before joining UniBo, he researched at Mines Paris, Case Western Cleveland, U. Bozen and ICL. He is a two-time recipient of the EU Marie Curie fellowship (IEF2010; CIG2012) and one-time recipient of the IT IRI Management Fellowship (2008). His work is published in the Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Perspectives, Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice (ET&P), Journal of Business Venturing, Journal of Management Studies (JMS) and Research Policy.

Professor Alberto Di Minin

Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna

Alberto's main research interests have to do with technological transfer and interantionalization of R&D within large multinational organizations. In particular, he looks at various aspects of Intellectual Property Management. Alberto has a BA in Economics from Scuola Sant'Anna, an MS in Public Policy from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and he is a Ph.D. student in City & Regional Planning at the University of California at Berkeley. Alberto is a Research Associate for the Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy (BRIE).

Dr. Letizia Mortara

University of Cambridge

Letizia Mortara is a Lecturer at the University of Cambridge and a Senior Fellow at Newnham College, Cambridge. She is also an Associate Editor for the R&D Management journal. Letizia’s current focus is in the areas of Strategic Technology Management and Technology Enterprise. Specific research projects include Technology intelligence (i.e. activity set-up in order to keep abreast with the latest developments in technology) Open Innovation, and the advent of Digital Fabrication technologies in manufacturing (e.g. 3D Printing) and their implications for business.

Professor Joseph (Yuan) Zhou

Tsinghua University

ZHOU Yuan (Joseph) is the Associate Professor with Tenure at the School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University (China). He also serves as the Assistant Director of China Institute for Engineering Development Strategies. He is also a guest (senior) lecturer at Nanyang Technological University (Singapore). His recent research interests include public policy, innovation policy, and innovation management. Joseph has published several papers in Science and Public Policy, Technological Forecasting & Social Change, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, Nano Energy, Engineering (Chinese Academy of Engineering Journal), Journal of Cleaner Production, Energy Policy, Scientometrics, Sustainable Development, Technology Analysis & Strategic Management, International Journal of Technology Management, etc. He serves as the Department Editor of IEEE TEM, as well as the guest editor of IEEE TEM, R&D Management, and Scientometrics. He also serves as the editorial board member of TFSC. He received his PhD degree (technology management) from the University of Cambridge (UK) in 2010. Prior to his PhD, Joseph was a manager at Cascadia Capital on technology commercialization & transfer practice. Before that, he was a manager at Nanyang Techno-entrepreneurship Centre, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), involving in technology entrepreneurship activities.

Professor Lawrence Dooley

University College Cork

Lawrence Dooley (M. Comm., Ph.D.) is a College Lecturer in Enterprise and Innovation at University College Cork (UCC) since 2004. Prior to joining UCC, he was based at the Centre for Enterprise Management in the University of Dundee, Scotland. He undertook his doctoral thesis entitled 'Systems Innovation Management' at the National University of Ireland, Galway. His core research interests focus on organisational innovation and issues related to inter-enterprise collaboration and value creation. Other related interests include organisational creativity and knowledge exchange. He has published widely over recent years and actively liaises with industry both through applied research projects, consultancy and research master classes

Professor Einar Rasmussen

Nord University Business School

Einar Rasmussen is Professor of Technology Management and Head of the Division of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Nord University Business School, Norway. He has been visiting scholar at University of Nottingham, University of Strathclyde, University of Twente and University of Bologna. His research interests are entrepreneurial processes, academic entrepreneurship and university-industry technology transfer. He has managed several research and development projects funded by research councils, ministries and government agencies. He publish regularly in international journals such as Journal of Management Studies, Academy of Management Perspectives, Research Policy, Journal of Business Research, International Small Business Journal, Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, Regional Studies, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Journal of Technology Transfer and Technovation.

Professor Jim McLellan

Queen’s University

Jim is the Academic Director of the Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Centre, Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering at Queen’s and a co-founder of the Queen’s Summer Innovation Initiative. Prior to joining Queen’s in 1990, he worked for Petro-Canada as a control applications engineer. He is an active researcher and consultant in the fields of statistical model building and process control, working with major companies ranging from biomedical devices, to metals manufacturing and chemical manufacturing processes. Jim is committed to building innovation and entrepreneurship programming at Queen’s and to growing a vibrant entrepreneurial culture in the Kingston region, working with many groups in the Kingston entrepreneurship ecosystem. Jim is cross-appointed to the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, and to the Dan School of Drama and Music. He collaborates in teaching and research in innovation and pedagogy in the technology and creative arts fields.

Professor Claudia Doblinger

Technical University of Munich

Professor Doblinger’s research focuses on the interface of public policies, firm-level technological innovation and sustainability with a particular focus on the (bio-)energy sector. Her main focus is on understanding how political incentives affect the innovation and entrepreneurial activities of firms, especially in the context of clean energy and transportation technologies.

Professor Doblinger holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of Regensburg, where she earned her PhD in Innovation and Technology Management. After her doctoral studies, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Harvard Kennedy School. She has further been a guest researcher at the University of Colorado at Boulder and the University of Cambridge. She also earned practical work experience as a project manager for digitization at the Maschinenfarbik Reinhausen GmbH. In 2018, she accepted an offer to take on the newly created professorship in Innovation and Technology Management at TUM Campus Straubing for Biotechnology and Sustainability.

Professor Joonmo Ahn

Sogang University

Joon Mo Ahn is an Associate Professor at Graduate School of MOT (Management of Technology), Sogang University, Korea. Prior to joining Sogang University he worked for Korean government agencies, such as the Small Medium Business Administration and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning where he engaged in the development of innovation policies. He has a BSc in Chemical Engineering from Seoul National University, Korea and a PhD from the University of Cambridge, UK. His current research is focused on open innovation in small firms, innovation management, R&D policy and entrepreneurship.

Professor Monika Petraite

Kaunas University

Monika Petraite is a Full Professor and Head of the Department of Strategic Management at School of Economics and Business at Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania. She is also a Director of GLORAD CEE (Global R&D research Centre Central Eastern Europe), and runs an Open Innovation research cluster. She holds a PhD degree in management and business administration (2002) from Kaunas University of Technology (KUT), Lithuania. She has been acting as a dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and an interim dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Arts in the period of 2011- 2013 which successfully resulted in a large merger project. Later she acted as an Interim Director for Executive School at the initiation stage, and starting 2014 she took a position of the Strategic Management Department Head. She is also a visiting professor at ESSEC Executive Education, and visiting academic leader at Monterrey Tech, Campus Santa Fe.

Professor Sungjoo Lee

Ajou University

Professor Andrea Piccaluga

Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna

Andrea Piccaluga is Professor of Innovation Management at the Istituto di Management, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, where he is coordinator of the PhD programme in Management. He is President of Netval (www.netval.it), the Italian network of University Technology Transfer Offices. He has also launched DBA programmes at Scuola Sant'Anna (www.dba.idm.sssup.it). He holds a PhD from Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna and a Master in Technology and Innovation Management from SPRU (University of Sussex, Brighton). He is Associate editor of the R&D Management Journal and Creativity and Innovation Management Journal. He collaborates with large and medium-sized companies (Knauf, GE Oil&Gas, Loccioni, TT Venture, etc.) in the field of Open Innovation and with the regional governments of Puglia (Arti) and Tuscany in the field of policies for entrepreneurship and technology transfer. He is member of the board of SIAF (Scuola Internazionale di Alta Formazione) in Volterra. He has published books and papers in the field of R&D management and technology transfer.

Jane Somerville

Concordia University

Program Director, District 3 Innovation Centre

Jane Somerville is a passionate business professional with more than 25 years of experience working with Canadian entrepreneurs.  She is currently Director, Programs at District 3 Innovation Centre, Concordia University’s Innovation Hub and Startup Incubator.  She works daily with Montreal’s top deep-tech startup entrepreneurs and with the other key ecosystem players in Montreal and across Canada, contributing to Canada’s entrepreneurship machine.  

Jane has worked in the Canadian entrepreneurial landscape her whole career. Jane was recruited to Concordia University from the Business Development Bank of Canada where she worked directly with small, medium and large companies across Canada, across all industry sectors, building and delivering innovative advisory services in strategic management, digital marketing and sales management, to help Canada’s entrepreneurs succeed.  An entrepreneur herself, Jane founded and owned zoozfurniture.ca, an online directory of furniture and furniture stores in major Canadian cities, built to help independent furniture retailers showcase their products and help harried home decorators zero in on a particular piece by item, room, style or a store’s geographical location.  Jane also worked in small business and in the banking industry.  She has an MBA from McGill University.

Andrew Park

Simon Fraser University

PhD Candidate - Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Beedie School of Business

Andrew worked in the biotechnology and software industries for several years and have a solid understanding of the interplay between scientific discovery and business processes. He has worked with many luminary software and biotechnology firms including IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Merck and more.

Ben Chow

Simon Fraser University

Operations Director, Charles Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship

Ben’s experience ranges from engineering and technology product development to business development. He led corporate transactions such as asset divestures, strategic relationships, and co-development programs as well as provided consulting services to companies in the areas of investor relations, strategic planning, corporate valuation and international market entry. He has a B.A.Sc. in Chemical Engineering-Chemistry Honours from the University of British Columbia and an MBA from the Ivey School of Business, Western University. Ben is also a licensed Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) in British Columbia