CV

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Work experience

• London Business School
  • 2020-present: Associate Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship (with tenure)
  • 2013-2020: Assistant Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship

Education

• Ph.D in Strategic Management, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, 2013
  • Thesis Topic: Interaction between Competition, Collaboration and Innovation in Knowledge Industries
  • Committee: Anita McGahan (chair), Ajay Agrawal, Sarah Kaplan, Brian Silverman
• Master of Business Admisnitration, Sharif University of Technology, 2008
• B.S. in Electrical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, 2006

Research Interests

• Knowledge Recombination, Creativity and Innovation, Specilization and Collaboration, Science Policy

Publications

Explaining heterogeneity in the organization of scientific work.

Rahmandad, H., Vakili, K. 2019. "Explaining Heterogeneity in the Organization of Scientific Work." Organization Science, 30(6): 1125-1393.

Topic Modeling in Management Research: Rendering New Theory from Textual Data

Hannigan, T., Haans, R.F.J., Vakili, K., Tchalian, H., Glaser, V., Wang, M., Kaplan, S., Jennings, P.D. 2019. "Topic Modeling in Management Research: Rendering New Theory from Textual Data.." Academy of Management Annals, 13(2): 586-632.

When Collaboration Bridges Institutions: The Impact of University-Industry Collaboration on Academic Productivity

Bikard, M., Vakili, K., Teodoridis, F., 2019. "When Collaboration Bridges Institutions: The Impact of University-Industry Collaboration on Academic Productivity" Organization Science, 30(2): 235-445.

Creativity at the Knowledge Frontier: The Impact of Specialization in Fast- and Slow-paced Domains

Teodoridis, F., Bikard, M., Vakili, K. (2019). "Creativity at the Knowledge Frontier: The Impact of Specialization in Fast-and Slow-paced Domains." Administrative Science Quarterly, 64(4): 894-927.

High on Creativity: The Impact of Social Liberalization Policies on Innovation

Vakili, K., Zhang, L. (2018). "High on Creativity: The Impact of Social Liberalization Policies on Innovation." Strategic Management Journal, 39(7): 1860-1886.

Collaborative Promotion of Technology Standards and the Impact on Innovation, Industry Structure, and Organizational Capabilities: Evidence from Modern Patent Pools

Vakili, K. (2016). "Collaborative Promotion of Technology Standards and the Impact on Innovation, Industry Structure, and Organizational Capabilities: Evidence from Modern Patent Pools." Organization Science. 27(6): 1504-1524.

Health Care’s Grand Challenge: Stimulating Basic Science on Diseases that Primarily Afflict the Poor

Vakili, K., McGahan, A. M. (2016). "Health Care’s Grand Challenge: Stimulating Basic Science on Diseases that Primarily Afflict the Poor." Academy of Management Journal. 59(6): 1917-1939.

The Double-Edged Sword of Recombination in Breakthrough Innovation

Kaplan, S., Vakili, K. (2015). "The Double-Edged Sword of Recombination in Breakthrough Innovation." Strategic Management Journal. 36(10): 1435-1457.

Progress in Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research in the United States between 2001 and 2010

Vakili, K., McGahan, A. M., Rezaie, R., Mitchell, W., Daar, A. S. (2015). "Progress in Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research in the United States between 2001 and 2010." PLoS ONE. 10(3): e0120052.

Other Publications

• Teodoridis, F., Bikard, M., Vakili, K. (2018). “When Generalists Are Better Than Specialists, and Vice Versa.” Harvard Business Review (online), Available at: https://hbr.org/2018/07/when-generalists-are-better-than-specialists-and-vice-versa.
• Vakili, K., Zhang, L. (2018). “Research: Legal Marijuana and Gay Marriage Have Been Good for U.S. Innovation.” Harvard Business Review (online), Available at: https://hbr.org/2018/03/research-legal-marijuana-and-gay-marriage-have-been-good-for-u-s-innovation.

Under Review

Detrimental Collaborations in Creative Work: Evidence from Economics

Under review in Organization Science; (with Florenta Teodoridis (USC), Michael Bikard (LBS))

The research money can’t buy: Sponsoring academic science in the shadow of reputational rewards

R&R at Organization Science; (with Michael Blomfield (LBS))

Organizing for Innovation: How Team Configurations Vary With Modularity and Breadth of Application

2nd R&R in Strategic Management Journal; (with Sarah Kaplan (UofT))

Work in Progress

Developing Simple Rules Based on Models of Complex Strategic Choice

with Hazhir Rahmandad (MIT)

Collaborating out of Discrimination

with Michael Bikard (LBS), Florenta Teodoridis (USC)

IP Rights and the Diffusion of Basic Science

with Michael Blomfield (LBS), Anita McGahan (Rotman)

Cases and Teaching Materials

• Mylonadis Y, Vakili K. 2019. The SVOD challenge to the UK media landscape: Background note. London Business School.
• Mylonadis Y, Vakili K. 2018. Valve enters the game console industry. London Business School.
• Ethiraj S, Vakili K, Zuzul T. 2015. The Petroleum Industry in the UK. London Business School.
• Ethiraj S, Vakili K, Zuzul T. 2015. Tesco and UK Food and Grocery Retail Industry in 2015. London Business School.
• Ethiraj S, Vakili K, Zuzul T. 2015. Transocean and Patterson-UTI. London Business School.
• Ethiraj S, Vakili K, Zuzul T. 2015. Red Bull Enters the United States. London Business School.

Teaching

Digital Strategy (MBA)

MBA Programme, London Business School, Strategy and Entrepreneurship, 2017-2020

Core Strategy (EMBA)

EMBA Programme, London Business School, Strategy and Entrepreneurship, 2016-2020

Core Strategy (MBA)

MBA Programme, London Business School, Strategy and Entrepreneurship, 2013-2019

London Business Experience - Design Thinking Module

MBA Programme, London Business School, Strategy and Entrepreneurship, 2015-2017

EMBA International Assignment (South Africa)

EMBA Programme, London Business School, Strategy and Entrepreneurship, 2015-2016

Innovation and Entrepreneurship (PhD)

PhD Programme, London Business School, Strategy and Entrepreneurship, 2015-2016

Honors, Awards, and Scholarships

• 2019: Junior Faculty Research Award, London Business School
• 2018: Junior Faculty Research Award, London Business School
• 2017: Listed in The Favorite Professors Of Top MBAs by Poets and Quants
• 2015: AOM TIM Division Best Paper Award Finalist
• 2014: AOM BPS Division Best Dissertation Award Finalist
• 2012: Winner of the Best Paper Award (joint with Sarah Kaplan), DRUID Conference 2012
• 2012: REER Conference Best Student Paper Award Finalist

Professional Activities

• Member of the Editorial Board of the Strategic Management Journal (2015-present), Organization Science (2017-present), and Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal (2019-present)
• Representative-at-Large at Strategic Management Society, Knowledge & Innovation Interest Group
• Representative-at-Large at Academy of Management, Technology and Innovation Management Division
• Member of the BPS Research Committee (2015-2017), Academy of Management
• Ad hoc reviewer for Organization Science; Management Science; Administrative Science Quarterly; Journal of Management Studies; Strategy Science; Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization; and Research Policy

Recent Non-Academic Experience

• 2014-present: Member of the Advisory Board, Blanclink Inc.
• 2016-present: Member of the Advisory Board, PersiangGig Corp.
• 2007-2008: Founder and CEO, Affiction Games Inc.