Current projects

A few projects in various stages of development.

Research universities, regional tech economies, and skill updating for STEM workers

With my colleague Mary Walshok, and with funding from the Spencer Foundation and others, I am examining how research university extension schools can help workers in regional tech economies keep their skill sets up to date, and also how they can help innovative firms secure the “just-in-time” skill delivery they need to make their companies grow. University extension schools (also called continuing education or adult education schools) are neglected in academic research, but can be crucial players in regional tech skill eco-systems at the highest levels of workforce development. These students already have bachelors, and many have masters and doctorates, but their employment may not be secure if their skills are falling out of date. We are exploring regional variations in how these schools play roles in tech economies in San Diego, Seattle,  Chicago and New York.

Foreign STEM PhDs and Startup Employment

With Michael Roach (Cornell University) I am working on a project that seeks to understand the employment preferences of PhD students and recent graduates, and especially how they relate to employment in startups–the young, smaller firms that drives so much innovation and growth. We are especially interested in resolving a puzzle: foreign STEM PhDs are more likely than American citizens to say they are interested in working for startups, but less likely than American citizens to actually do so. Is this because they have trouble getting visas to work in the US, or is it something else? If it is a visa issue, what is the best policy fix to help startups find the best workers for their needs (whether foreign nationals or American citizens), and allow these highly-skilled foreign students to become part of the American innovation economy?