Bio
I am an Associate Professor in Science and Technology Policy at EPFL (Lausanne, Switzerland). I joined the College of Management of Technology at EPFL in 2014. Before that, I was a research fellow and then a senior research fellow at the University of Melbourne, Australia, from 2010 to 2014. I was affiliated with the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research at the Faculty of Business and Economics. I obtained a Ph.D. in Economics from the Solvay Business School at the Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium, in 2010. I was a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley (California, USA) in 2018 and MIT (Massachusetts, USA) in the summer of 2019.
The overarching objective of my research is to provide the policy environment that best addresses the needs of the knowledge economy. This objective is met by producing sound empirical evidence on research questions related to science, technology, and innovation policy issues, with a particular interest in intellectual property. My work appeared in international peer-reviewed scientific journals such as the Journal of Industrial Economics, Journal of Law & Economics, Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Research Policy, and European Economic Review. I am an experienced speaker with over 200 conferences and seminars worldwide under my belt. I received more than $3 million in research funding from institutions including, but not limited to, the U.S. NSF, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Swiss Network for International Studies, the Swiss National Science Foundation, and the European Patent Office.
The two-way knowledge transfer that results from engagement activities is a powerful way of shaping public policies. I am thus keen to talk to the media and engage with international organizations, foundations, government agencies, and private companies. I was in charge of a report on the 'Patent Box' regime as part of Australia's Prime Minister's election promise to explore this policy tool. I have also done contract research for agencies and organizations such as the European Commission, the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) of the Swiss Confederation, the Australian Department of Industry, the Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance, the Australian patent office, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the World Intellectual Property Organization, and the Novo Nordisk Foundation. I also serve as an expert witness in high-stakes patent litigation cases.
Finally, I enjoy popularizing science. I have co-authored a comic book on intellectual property, titled 'An ABC of IP,' (translated into French, German, English, and Farsi) and produced cartoon presentations of some of my research topics.