University of California, Berkley, Agricultural & Resource Economics, 2002, Ph D

University of California, Berkley, Agricultural & Resource Economics, 1999, MS

Ohio State University, Slavic and East European Studies, 1995, MA

Cornell University, Biological Sciences, 1992, BS

Growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio, in a family engaged for several generations in the foods business at Procter & Gamble, I inherited an ethos of science-based innovation with strong social values. I received a bachelors in Biological Sciences from Cornell University in 1992, a master’s at Ohio State University in 1995, and a Ph.D. in Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of California at Berkeley in 2002.

My research looks at the economics and public policy of technological innovation and entrepreneurship across the agricultural and food industries. I focus on the interplay of intellectual property rights, technology transfer, startups, venture capital, and other aspects of the innovation ecosystem, with a particular interest and expertise in the role of patents in biological innovation. I value and enjoy cross-disciplinary research, collaborating with colleagues in the physical sciences, engineering, law, and business. I typically publish in the economics literature as well as in leading scientific journals like Science and Nature Biotechnology. At CSU, I teach courses on the global agricultural and food system, agricultural policy, entrepreneurship, and the economics of technological change in agriculture.

I am currently working with colleagues across CSU to launch our new Masters of Agribusiness and Food Innovation Management at CSU’s new Spur campus, located at the National Western Center in Denver. Designed for professionals from a variety of academic, business, and personal backgrounds, this intensive program will develop the suite of creative and business skills needed to drive innovation and development of new enterprises in today’s agricultural and food industries. This will be an intensive, full-time, 16-month experience, with a combination of coursework, active networking, and practical experience in developing and launching new products, technologies, and ventures. (Research Interests: Policy and economics of scientific research, technological innovation, and entrepreneurship)