BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

My research interests are in high technology industry, labor markets, organizational dynamics, and international business. My research encompasses the following topics: foreign direct investment in the United States, innovation and export strategies of small Canadian and US manufacturers, the dynamics of the biotechnology industry in the US, UK, Canada, and India, the internationalization of producer service firms, and the IT labor markets with a specific focus on Cybersecurity.  I am affiliated with the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis.

I am now serving as the editor of The Professional Geographer and I am on the editorial board of the Annals of the Association of American Geographers. 

I have edited a book, Economic Geography: Past, Present and Future, with Professor Helen Lawton Smith (Routledge, ISBN: 9780415367844, ISBN-10: 0415367840).

My current research projects are in the following areas, all funded by the National Science Foundation:

1. High technology Innovation – In this area, I have studied the characteristics of innovators in biotechnology firms, relationship between strategic alliances and innovation, strategies affecting commercialization of innovation, and policy needs of small- and medium-sized innovators in the UK, US, Canada and India.  For example, firms indicate that arms-length policy is not sufficient; assistance with day-to-day operations is needed.  Purchasing of lab equipment, negotiations with vendors, partner search, patent counsel are some of the needs that cannot be met by small innovators who have limited cash flow and are not ready to collaborate with big pharma or big chemical companies.  All firms indicate the importance of sustaining university collaborations but mention that their focus is on increasing industry partnerships because of the decline in venture capital for intellectual property-based corporate model.  I have undertaken related research in this area: an analysis of patenting in public companies over the past decade.  This study shows the growing importance of small firms in the generation of intellectual property and reinforces the need for institutional support in sustaining knowledge exploration in science-based firms.  [Project Summary]

2. High Technology Workforce – In this area, my collaborative research is with faculty in Computer Science and Management to understand the entry, retention, and advancement of women in cybersecurity. Cybersecurity has been identified by the Department of Homeland Security as one of the critical areas of national security. The national strategy to secure cyberspace articulates national cybersecurity awareness and training program as one of five national priorities. One of the missions is to address the shortfall in the number of trained and certified cybersecurity personnel.  Our research is focusing on three groups: the broader community of cybersecurity professionals, men and women; women chief security officers; and NSF-DOD funded students in cybersecurity at 50 US universities.  Furthermore, our outreach effort to middle- and high school to show the importance of cybersecurity in day-to-day life and cybersecurity as a profession has now become a fourth area of study.  All four studies have policy implications: curriculum development/revision as well as mentoring efforts in the NSF-DOD funded cybersecurity programs at universities, university-industry transition and skill needs, internal labor market facilitators/barriers for retention/advancement, and finally, partnership with schools to encourage consideration of computer science as a field of study. [Project Summary]

3. Science and Technology Research Partnerships - My most recent collaborative engagement is with sociologists at SUNY-Buffalo and faculty members in veterinary medicine at Kansas State University to understand the dynamics of interdisciplinary research (IDR) teams, especially those engaged in translational research. The focus of this research is "(1) how social dynamics contribute to, or impede collaboration; and (2) how social dynamics within groups change over time or differ among groups of varying longevity and disciplines. Systematic study of the social dynamics of IDR teams in the field is rare; theory and evidence identifying optimal social structures and roles to promote IDR team efficacy are underdeveloped. Thus formal study involving design and adaptation of data collection instruments to acquire data from a spectrum of academic IDR teams types—differing in composition (disciplines represented, faculty rank, gender), research focus, activity level, and duration of collaboration (new groups and established teams)—will contribute empirical knowledge and promote theory-building relating to the social dynamics of such groups." [Project Summary]

In recent years, I have also become interested in "development" with specific focus on health issues in Third World countries. One of the projects is the examination of the geographic patterns of HIV/AIDS in Thailand.

I have taught a variety of courses in Geography. In addition, I have co-taught a class in Law on Property Rights and Development with Professor Errol Meidinger. For over 10 years, I have been affiliated with the Baldy Center for Law and Social Policy. In summer sessions, I have been teaching a class on Global Economy and the Business Firm for the Professional MBA program in our School of Management.

My ACE (American Council on Education) fellowship placement is at the Chancellor's Office, University of California-Los Angeles (see my expectation as an ACE fellow). My most recent experience in administration includes serving as the Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Geography and a fellowship in the University at Buffalo's Faculty in Leadership Program. I have served on numerous committees including the Appointment, Promotion and Tenure committee of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Research Interests

» Innovation, Regulation, and Economic Development

» The Biotechnology Industry

» Information Economy, Cybersecurity and Gender Issues

» Foreign Direct Investment

» Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises and Exports

Curriculum Vitae