Curriculum/Program Development

Building the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem at UNLV

• • • As Research Director, Troesh Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, set and executed a strategy to raise the business school's and university's research profile and strengthen student development.

    • Launched the Troesh Scholars Program, one of UNLV's first research-funding programs, and funded 40 interdisciplinary proposals across business, engineering, public health, and sciences (2020–2022) that yielded publications in leading journals and $520,000+ in external funding by 2023.

    • Founded the annual Troesh Research Conference on the future of entrepreneurship research (2020–2026).

    • Revamped the Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation for university-wide access (2019–2026); judged the inaugural President's Innovation Challenge (2022); and engaged local venture communities (StartUpNV, AngelNV, Gathering of Angels, 2019–present).

Building the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem at UB (SUNY Buffalo)

• • • As Inaugural Academic Director of the Entrepreneurship Academy (2012–2015), built and executed a university-wide strategy to cultivate student innovation and entrepreneurship, partnering with the Provost's Office, School of Management, School of Engineering, and the Technology Transfer Office; designed the Academy's Launchpad curriculum.

    • Created the Entrepreneurship Lab (eLab) (2013), a credit-bearing seed-funding program for hands-on new-venture creation backed by a $300,000 gift, with mentoring and incubation, a student co-working space (tenX), fellowships, and engagement with 43North and Z80 Labs.

    • Launched the PhD Program in Strategy and Entrepreneurship (2014) and taught its core seminar; developed the MBA/engineering "Technology Entrepreneurship" course (2012; taught 2013–2018).

    • Founded the campus-wide elevator pitch competition (2013) and an industry guest-speaker series connecting students to the entrepreneurial community.

Student accomplishments

• • • Student teams raised more than $2.5 million from venture capital, angel investors, grants programs, and crowdfunding platforms (2014-present)

    • Student teams won 1st place in Panasci Technology Entrepreneurship Competition, 2014, 2016, 2018

    • Student teams won 1st place (2018) and 2nd place (2014) in New York State Business Plan Competition

University-Related Services

University level

• 1. • Leadership & Social/Entrepreneurship Advisory Board, 2021-present

     • Graduate College Grad Academy Advisory Board, UNLV, 2021-present

     • Graduate College Graduate Awards Committee, UNLV, 2020, 2022, 2025

     • Graduate College Graduate Faculty and Student Support Committee, UNLV, 2019

School level

• • Chair, PhD Committee, UNLV, 2022-

  • Dean Search Committee, UNLV, 2019-2020

  • Tenure and Promotion Committee, SUNY Buffalo, 2016-2018

  • PhD Committee, SUNY Buffalo, 2016-2018

Department level

• • • MET Governance Committee, UNLV, 2019-present

    • Chair, Mid-Tenure Review Committee, 2023, 2024, 2025

    • Ph.D. Program Coordinator, SUNY Buffalo, 2016-2018

Professional Services

Research Committee

AOM STR Division, 2023-2025

External Tenure and Promotion Reviews

2016 (1), 2017 (1), 2018 (1), 2019 (3), 2020 (1), 2021 (4), 2022 (1), 2023 (4), 2024 (1), 2025 (4), 2026 (3)

Grant Reviews

Swiss National Science Foundation, 2025

External Examiner, Hong Kong SAR Research Grants Council, 2013-2017, 2020, 2022-2024

Grant Reviewer, Research Council of Canada for Social Sciences and Humanities, 2015

Conference, Event & Committee Leadership

• • • Co-Chair, Symposium. 2025. Artificial Intelligence and Strategic Decision Making: A Conversation between Research and Practice. With Aaron Chatterjee (OpenAI), Michael Jacobides, Felipe Csaszar, Kathleen Eisenhardt, Nikolaus Lang (BCG), and Shaker Zahra. Strategic Management Society conference. Oct. 2025, San Francisco.

    • Co-Chair, PDW, Artificial Intelligence as a Field of Dreams. 2024. With Kathy Eisenhardt, Geog von Krogh, Kate Kellogg, Gary Dushnitsky, Shaker Zahra. Academy of Management. August 2024, Chicago, IL.

    • Organizer, Symposium. Machine Learning and Its Implications for Strategy, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Research. Strategic Management Society annual meeting. Toronto, CA. Sept. 2023. With Kathleen Eisenhardt, Ritta Katila, Felipe Csaszar, Prithwiraj (Raj) Choudhury, Nan Jia, Milan Miric, Kenneth G. Huang, and Shaker A. Zahra.

    • Co-Chair, Symposium, Training Academic Entrepreneurs with the NSF I-Corps Program. August 2023, Boston. With David A. Waldman, Donald Siegel, and Maryann Feldman.

    • Organizer, Symposium, What to do with rejections? Academy of Management. August 2022, Seattle. With Gary Dushnitsky, Melissa Graebner, Peter Klein, Hart Posen, Laszlo Tihanyi.

    • Organizer, Research Symposium, Advancing Theory Building in Entrepreneurship, UNLV Troesh Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Oct. 2020. Virtual. With Rajshree Agarwal, Jay B. Barney, Gary Dushnitsky, Melissa Graebner, Saras Sarasvathy, and Shaker A. Zahra.

    • Co-Organizer (with Melissa Graebner and Timothy B Folta), SEJ Professional Development Workshop, March 25, 2020, canceled due to Covid-19

    • Co-Organizer (with Vikas Aggarwal), Doctoral Workshop, Strategic Management Society conference. June, 2020, canceled due to Covid-19

    • Co-Chair (with Shaker Zahra), PDW, Theory Development in Entrepreneurship: Our Entrepreneurial Journey, Academy of Management. August 2020, Vancouver.

    • Co-Chair (with Shaker Zahra), Symposium, Advancing Theory Development in Entrepreneurship Research, Academy of Management. August 2019, Boston.

    • Chair, PDW, Theoretical developments in entrepreneurship research, Academy of Management. August 2018, Chicago.

    • Co-Organizer (with Tim Folta and Joe Mahoney), PDW, Real options and strategic entrepreneurship, Academy of Management. August 2018, Chicago.

    • Track Chair (with Jing Li), Asia Academy of Management Conference. June 2017, Fukuoka, Japan.

    • Co-Organizer (with Gary Dushnitsky), Symposium (BPS, ENT, TIM), The Pursuit of Innovation, Academy of Management. August 2016, Anaheim, CA. Details.

    • Co-Organizer (with Shaker Zahra), Professional Development Workshop International Entrepreneurship: West Meets East, Academy of Management. August 2011, San Antonio, TX. Details.

    • Co-Organizer (with Joe Mahoney), Symposium (BPS), Real options within organizational economics: Taking stock and looking ahead, Academy of Management. August 2010, Montreal, Canada. Details.

    • Co-Leader, the SMS Doctoral Workshop on "Launching Your Job Search and Career". Strategic Management Society conference. October 10, 2009. Washington DC.

Scholarly Activities - Faculty Panelist/Mentor 

• • • Doctoral Consortium. Strategy Science annual conference. June 2025. Barcelona.

    • Doctoral Consortium. AOM IM Division. August 2024. Chicago.

    • Global Doctoral Workshop. Central University of Finance and Economics. July 2024. Beijing.

    • Junior Faculty Consortium. AOM STR Division. August 2023. Virtual.

    • Perspectives in Entrepreneurial Experimentation. AOM STR Division. August 2023. Boston, MA.

    • SMS Paper Development Workshop. June 2023. IACMR. Hong Kong. 

    • Junior Faculty Consortium. June 2023. IACMR. Hong Kong.

    • Crowdfunding: Broadening our Sight Through Theory-Building PDW. AOM. August 2020. Vancouver, Canada. Virtual.

    • Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies Workshop. SMS. October 2017. Houston, TX.

    • Inaugural AOM ENT Division Plenary Session. August 2013. Boston, MA.

    • Real options and entrepreneurship. SMS. September 2013. Atlanta, GA.

    • Doctoral Consortium. AOM ENT Division. August 2011, San Antonio, TX.

    • Doctoral Consortium. AOM ENT Division. August 2010, Montreal, Canada.

Membership in Academic Organizations

Academy of Management

• • • • Entrepreneurship

      • Strategy

      • International Management

      • Technology and Innovation Management

      • Research Methods

Academy of International Business

Strategic Management Society

American Economic Association (2004-2006)

Beta Gamma Sigma

Research Affiliate, Alfred P. Sloan Foundations Industry Studies Program (2007-2011)

Community Engagement

 Entrepreneurial, Consulting and Advisory Experiences

Consult for businesses and startups, currently sit on the board of directors and advisory board of several startups.

 Industry Training, Talks, and Keynotes

• • • UNLV Brain Health Innovation Incubator training. 2025, 2026 

    • Social impact in the age of AI. 4th Social Entrepreneurship Research Forum. Shanghai, Dec. 2023. Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. Virtual.

    • Developing theoretical insights in entrepreneurship research. CMIC, 2023. Virtual.

    • Startup vs. small business. TGA Workshop, UNLV Graduate College. Nov. 2021.

    • Customer Discovery. Nov. 2021. StartupNV, AngelNV, Las Vegas, NV.

    • Economic Impact of Covid-19 on Las Vegas Metro. Oct. 2020. GCEC Annual Conference. Virtual.

    • Social entrepreneurship: Past, present and future. 2nd Social Entrepreneurship Research Forum. Shanghai, Dec. 2019.

    • Entrepreneurial decision making under uncertainty. Quarterly Journal of Management. Guangzhou, July 2019.

    • Sharing economy and social ventures. Social Venture Forum. Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, July 2017.

    • Equity allocation among entrepreneurs. Zhongguancun High-Tech Zone, Beijing, July 2015

    • Venture Capital Investments under Uncertainty. China Venture Capital Forum, Shenzhen, May 2014.

    • Beyond trade: Entry into emerging markets. Buffalo World Trade Association, Buffalo. November 2009.

    • Mentor, Startup Weekend Buffalo, 2012, 2013, 2014

    • Judge, SAGE World Cup Entrepreneurship Competition, 2011, Buffalo, NY

Media Mentions

Forbes, Entrepreneur, Crowdfund Insider, Knowledge@Wharton, among others

Regional and local media: News Day, Buffalo News, Business First, WBFO, among others