What has your career path (in and out of the LSE) been like to date?
Following undergraduate studies at King’s College London and an MBA at Cornell I worked with a Canadian bank and later taught at York University and University of Western Ontario. That was fun and I decided to pursue doctoral studies and make a full commitment to working in academia. I completed my PhD and have remained at LSE since - that was 26 years ago!
What does your job entail/What is the focus of your research/teaching?
My responsibilities encompass teaching and research and a fast growing array of other related tasks! I teach a number of courses to different audiences at LSE from Managerial Accounting to Internet Entrepreneurship to Emerging Country Development and Governance issues. My research covers these areas also – presently I am investigating global joint ventures, Big Data and facets of global governance. I am also the Director of graduate taught programmes in my department – we accept close to 300 graduate students each year. Aside from this, I serve on several School-wide committees including Promotions and Ethics. In addition to all this, I am Director of the newly formed LSE Entrepreneurship unit at LSE.
What bits about your job get you out of bed in the morning?
I’ve been on two honeymoons – one of these is my job at LSE and that one has never ended! What I do at work does not feel like work. LSE is full of smart, friendly individuals excited about thought – such a place is difficult to keep away from for any academic.
What's the best thing about working at the LSE?
Teaching the world’s most outstanding students and interacting with the sharpest of thinkers around is the thing I really like about this university. LSE is probably the most international university on the planet – people bring differing ideas and views on things we care about or should care about. So everyday becomes a learning experience. Aside from this it’s friendly, has an excellent location in London, the library is fantastic and I have yet to meet someone (over the age of 5) who hasn’t heard of LSE.
What advice would you give to people who want to join us at the LSE?
Talk to people who work here. Walk around the campus. Attend an LSE public lecture. Google ‘news-LSE’. If you’re not convinced – LSE isn’t for you.