Best Startup
At Best Startup UK we track over 130,000 UK startups and over 500,000 people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top Cambridge based Director operating in the Education space. If you think a Director is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.co.uk.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Companies House UK, Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Brian Subirana
Director of Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Prof. Brian Subirana is Director of the MIT Auto-ID lab (where the term Internet of Things was coined) and Visiting Scientist in MIT’s Office of Digital Learning. He has also taught at programs in several Business Schools (Harvard, Stanford, IESE and INSEAD). Before becoming academic, he worked at BCG. He obtained his PhD in AI at MIT CSAIL, an MBA from MIT Sloan and his research is focused in three areas: digital learning, SCM, and IoT/AI.
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About Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT is a research university that conducts research and offers educational courses in science, technology, and engineering.
Sanjay Sarma
Professor of Mechanical Engineering & Director of Digital Learning of Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Sanjay Sarma is the Fred Fort Flowers (1941) and Daniel Fort Flowers (1941) Professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT. He is the first Director of Digital Learning at MIT. He co-founded the Auto-ID Center at MIT and developed many of the key technologies behind the EPC suite of RFID standards now used worldwide. He was also the the founder and CTO of OATSystems, which was acquired by Checkpoint Systems (NYSE: CKP) in 2008. He serves on the boards of GS1, EPCglobal and several startup companies including Senaya and ESSESS. He received his Bachelors from the Indian Institute of Technology, his Masters from Carnegie Mellon University and his PhD from the University of California at Berkeley. Sarma also worked at Schlumberger Oilfield Services in Aberdeen, UK, and at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratories in Berkeley, California. He has authored over 75 academic papers in computational geometry, sensing, RFID, automation and CAD, and is the recipient of numerous awards for teaching and research including the MacVicar Fellowship, the Business Week eBiz Award and Informationweek’s Innovators and Influencers Award. He advises several national governments and global companies.
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About Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Top Flight Technologies: MIT is a research university that conducts research and offers educational courses in science, technology, and engineering.
Josue Velázquez-Martínez
Executive Director, Supply Chain Management of Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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About Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT is a research university that conducts research and offers educational courses in science, technology, and engineering.
Jeff Freilich
Associate Director, CSAIL Alliances of Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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About Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT is a research university that conducts research and offers educational courses in science, technology, and engineering.
Jeff Freilich
Associate Director, CSAIL Alliances of Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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About Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT is a research university that conducts research and offers educational courses in science, technology, and engineering.
Erik Brynjolfsson
Jerry Yang and Akiko Yamazaki Professor; Director, Digital Economy Lab of Stanford University
Erik Brynjolfsson serves as the schussel family professor at the [MIT Sloan School](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/massachusetts-institute-of-technology-sloan-school-of-management). He co-founded FlexPlay Technologies, a tech company that develops and supplies limited-life DVDs. Brynjolfsson has been an independent director at the Computer Sciences Corporation since December 2010. He also served as a co-director at BaseSix; a director at CSK Corporation from 2006 to 2008; the director of the MIT Center for Digital Business; and the chairman of the MIT Sloan Management Review. He lectures worldwide on technology strategy, productivity, and intangible assets. Brynjolfsson is the co-author of Wired for Innovation: How IT is Reshaping the Economy. He is on the academic advisory board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, and he is also co-principal investigator on several grants by the National Science Foundation to study information technology, organizational transformation, and productivity. He has taught at Harvard and Stanford Universities. Brynjolfsson holds a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in applied mathematics and decision sciences from Harvard University and a PhD in managerial economics from MIT.
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About National Bureau of Economic Research, Race Against the Machine, Self-Employed, Stanford University: Stanford University is a teaching and research university that focuses on graduate programs in law, medicine, education, and business.
Ryan Frazier
Managing Director Technology at Harvard Business School Online of Harvard Business School
Managing Director Technology at Harvard Business School Online.
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About Diaper Lab, Harvard Business School: Harvard Business School is an educational institution that offers two-year residential programs leading to an MBA, PhD, and DBA degree.
Neha Narula
Director, Digital Currency Initiative of MIT Media Lab
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About MIT Media Lab: MIT Media Lab creates disruptive technologies pioneering in wearable and affective computing and tangible interfaces.
Kent Larson
Director, MIT City Science Initiative and Director, Changing Places of MIT Media Lab
Kent Larson directs the City Science Initiative and the Changing Places Group at the MIT Media Lab. Research is focused on developing urban interventions that enable more entrepreneurial, livable, high-performance districts in cities. His research team brings together architects, urban planners, computer scientists, and mechanical and electrical engineers to create an anti-disciplinary team to prototype and pilot test next-generation solutions for cities. Projects include advanced simulation and augmented reality for urban design, transformable micro-housing to make living in the creative heart of the city affordable for young professionals, and mobility-on-demand systems that provide practical and sustainable alternatives to private automobiles. Larson has established a network of living lab partner cities that includes Hamburg, Andorra, Taipei, Lisbon, and Boston. He and his researchers received the “10-Year Impact Award” from Ubicomp 2014: a “test of time” award for work that, with the benefit of that hindsight, has had the greatest impact. Larson practiced architecture for 15 years in New York City, with design work published in Architectural Record, Progressive Architecture, Global Architecture, the New York Times, A+U, and Architectural Digest. His book, Louis I. Kahn: Unbuilt Masterworks was selected as one of the Ten Best Books in Architecture of the year by the New York Times Review of Books.
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About Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT Media Lab: MIT Media Lab creates disruptive technologies pioneering in wearable and affective computing and tangible interfaces.
William H. Janeway
Director of O’Reilly
William H. Janeway is a board member of Magnet Systems, Inc. Currently, Mr. Janeway is a senior advisor at Warburg Pincus. Mr. Janeway received his doctorate in Economics from Cambridge University, where he was a Marshall Scholar. He was valedictorian of the class of 1965 at Princeton University. Prior to joining Warburg Pincus in 1988, where he was responsible for building the information technology practice, he was executive vice president and director at Eberstadt Fleming. Mr. Janeway is a director of Fortent Corp., NYFIX Inc., O’Reilly Media, Nuance Communications, and Wall Street Systems, and a member of the board of managers of Roubini Global Economics. He is also chairman of the board of trustees of Cambridge in America, University of Cambridge, co-chair of Cambridge’s 800th Anniversary Capital Campaign, and a founder member of the board of managers of the Cambridge Endowment for Research in Finance (CERF). Mr. Janeway is a member of the board of directors of the Social Science Research Council.
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About Cambridge Endowment for Research in Finance, Cambridge in America, Fortent, Nuance Communications, Roubini Global Economics, LLC, Social Science Research Council, Wall Street Systems: O’Reilly provides technology and business training, knowledge, and insight to help companies succeed.
Stephen Hawking
Director of Research at Center for Theoretical Cosmology of University of Cambridge
Stephen William Hawking is a theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author. He is the director of research at the Department for Applied Maths and Theoretical Physics within the [University of Cambridge](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/university-of-cambridge). Hawking attended St. Albans School when he was eleven. He obtained a first class honors degree in natural science from the Oxford University and a Ph.D. in cosmology from the University of Cambridge. After gaining his Ph.D. Hawking became first a research fellow and later on a professorial fellow at Gonville and Caius College. After leaving the Institute of Astronomy in 1973, he came to the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics in 1979, and held the post of Lucasian professor of mathematics from 1979 until 2009. Hawking has worked on the basic laws which govern the universe. With Roger Penrose he showed that Einstein’s General theory of relativity implied space and time would have a beginning in the Big Bang and an end in black holes. His publications include The Large Scale Structure of Spacetime with G F R Ellis, General Relativity: An Einstein Centenary Survey, with W Israel, and 300 Years of Gravity, with W Israel. Among the popular books Hawking has published are his best seller A Brief History of Time, Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays, The Universe in a Nutshell, The Grand Design, and My Brief History. Professor Hawking has twelve honorary degrees. He was awarded the CBE in 1982, and was made a Companion of Honour in 1989. He is the recipient of many awards, medals and prizes; is a fellow of The Royal Society; and a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. Hawking suffers from ALS, a form of motor neuron disease. Stephen William Hawking was born on January 8, 1942, in Oxford, England.
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About University of Cambridge: The University of Cambridge is a public research university based in England.
Robert Wardrop
Executive Director, Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance of University of Cambridge
Robert is an economic sociologist and the Executive Director of the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance, a research group at the University of Cambridge. He is also a Research Fellow and teaches two MBA courses at the Cambridge Judge Business School. Prior to joining Cambridge, Robert had a 30-year career as a financial investor, most recently as a Managing Director of the Anschutz Investment Company. Robert holds an MBA from the University of Chicago, an MSc in Social & Cognitive Anthropology from the London School of Economics, and is currently completing his PhD in Economic Sociology at Cambridge.
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About ABS Global, Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge: The University of Cambridge is a public research university based in England.
Derek Fray
Director of Research & Emeritus Professor of Materials Chemistry of University of Cambridge
Derek Fray is the Director of Research and Emeritus Professor of Materials Chemistry of University of Cambridge.
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About Camfridge, University of Cambridge: The University of Cambridge is a public research university based in England.
Nick Saville
Director, Thought Leadership of University of Cambridge
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About University of Cambridge: The University of Cambridge is a public research university based in England.
Stephen Cave
Executive Director of the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence of University of Cambridge
Dr Stephen Cave is Executive Director of the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, Senior Research Associate in the Faculty of Philosophy, and Fellow of Hughes Hall, all at the University of Cambridge. Stephen earned a PhD in philosophy from Cambridge, then joined the British Foreign Office, where he served as a policy advisor and diplomat. He has subsequently written and spoken on a wide range of philosophical and scientific subjects, including in the New York Times, The Atlantic, and on television and radio around the world. His research interests currently focus on the nature, portrayal and governance of AI.
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About University of Cambridge: The University of Cambridge is a public research university based in England.
Stephen Cave
Executive Director of the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence of University of Cambridge
Dr Stephen Cave is Executive Director of the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, Senior Research Associate in the Faculty of Philosophy, and Fellow of Hughes Hall, all at the University of Cambridge. Stephen earned a PhD in philosophy from Cambridge, then joined the British Foreign Office, where he served as a policy advisor and diplomat. He has subsequently written and spoken on a wide range of philosophical and scientific subjects, including in the New York Times, The Atlantic, and on television and radio around the world. His research interests currently focus on the nature, portrayal and governance of AI.
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About University of Cambridge: The University of Cambridge is a public research university based in England.
Urs Gasser
Executive Director of Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society of Harvard University
Urs Gasser is the Executive Director of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University and a Professor of Practice at Harvard Law School. His research and teaching activities focus on information law, policy, and society issues and the changing role of academia in the digitally networked age. At Berkman Klein and in collaboration with the MIT Media Lab, he co-leads the Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence Initiative, with a particular interest in global governance issues and the broader implications of next-generation technologies, including questions of human autonomy and inclusion. As a long-term research interest, he studies the patterns of interaction between law and innovation, and innovation with the legal system in the digital age.
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About Harvard Law School, Harvard University, Keio University: Harvard University is devoted to excellence in teaching, learning, and research, and to developing leaders who make a difference globally.
Marta Piekarska
Director of Ecosystem, Hyperledger of Linux Foundation
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About Cambridge Blockchain Society, Hyperledger, Linux Foundation: The Linux Foundation builds sustainable ecosystems around open source projects to accelerate technology development and industry adoption.
Ed Goodman
Director of Cambridge Grind of Startup Grind
Ed Goodman is a business start-up mentor who’s worked with over 10,000 start-ups to successfully build their knowledge of financial management, social media, networking and more. He has also delivered keynote presentations and workshops at large-scale seminars and exhibitions, including the MADE Festival, Business Start-Up Show, and other events at Earls Court, ExCel London and The National Space Centre. Through independent consultancy and mentoring, along with aligned partnerships, he has worked with multinational corporations including Barclays, Google, Sage, Intuit and more. In 2012, Ed co-founded the Cambridge Business Lounge, a co-working space and support hub for start-ups and small businesses. He also regularly blogs on small business topics, including ‘The A–Z Guide to Starting a Business’, as well as being a contributor on the BBC, podcasts as well as other established business blogs. January 2015 sees the release of Ed’s first book “New Business, Next Steps – The All In One Guide to Managing, Marketing and Growing Your Small Business”, published by Pearson.
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About Startup Grind: Startup Grind is a global startup community designed to educate, inspire, and connect entrepreneurs.
Ed Goodman
Director of Cambridge Grind of Startup Grind
Ed Goodman is a business start-up mentor who’s worked with over 10,000 start-ups to successfully build their knowledge of financial management, social media, networking and more. He has also delivered keynote presentations and workshops at large-scale seminars and exhibitions, including the MADE Festival, Business Start-Up Show, and other events at Earls Court, ExCel London and The National Space Centre. Through independent consultancy and mentoring, along with aligned partnerships, he has worked with multinational corporations including Barclays, Google, Sage, Intuit and more. In 2012, Ed co-founded the Cambridge Business Lounge, a co-working space and support hub for start-ups and small businesses. He also regularly blogs on small business topics, including ‘The A–Z Guide to Starting a Business’, as well as being a contributor on the BBC, podcasts as well as other established business blogs. January 2015 sees the release of Ed’s first book “New Business, Next Steps – The All In One Guide to Managing, Marketing and Growing Your Small Business”, published by Pearson.
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About Startup Grind: Startup Grind is a global startup community designed to educate, inspire, and connect entrepreneurs.
Sucheta Nadkarni
Director of Cambridge Judge Business School
Professor Sucheta Nadkarni is Director of the Wo+Men’s Leadership Centre, Sinyi Professory of Chinese Management and Head of Strategy & International Business Subject Group at Cambridge Judge Business School. Sucheta’s primary research interests include strategic leadership with a special focus on female rise to corporate boards and executive leadership positions. She has published extensively in leading academic journals in management. She is an associate editor of Academy of Management Journal and Journal of Management. She also sits on the editorial of four other leading academic journals. She has worked on research projects and grants with companies such as Boeing, Booz Allen Hamilton, Newton Asset Management, BNY Mellon and 30% club. Her research on female rise to boardrooms has been featured in global media outlets including New York Times, Forbes, CNBC, Huffington Post, Reuters, The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Scotsman, Economic Times, Times of India, Herald Tribune, Borsen, O Globo, The Times (Kuwait), Business Standard and Folha De Sao Paulo.
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About Cambridge Judge Business School: Cambridge Judge Business School is a business school of University of Cambridge located in the United Kingdom.
David Borrelli
Program Director, Data Scientist of Insight Data Science
David Borrelli is the Founder and Chief Technology Officer of DropWise Technologies Corp.
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About Insight Data Science: Insight Data Science is an intensive seven week post-doctoral training fellowship bridging the gap between academia and data science.
Gemma Cranston
Director of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership
Gemma Cranston works within the Natural Capital Leaders Platform at CISL, which brings together influential companies with a global reach to work on addressing the impacts of natural capital loss and degradation on business, their customers and wider society. She is leading projects focusing upon externality valuation and water risk. Gemma’s valuation work has culminated in a suite of resources, including practical guidance around how to undertake an evaluation of the un-costed environmental impacts from business. This resulted in an online Tool, the first of its kind, that guides users through the evaluation process for environmental externalities. Prior to CISL, Gemma was the Lead Scientist at Global Footprint Network leading projects out of the Geneva office as well as supporting the organisation’s Research and Standards Department by contributing to research on the Ecological Footprint methodology and applications. Gemma has co-authored and shaped a variety of innovative projects, including ‘E.Valu.A.Te’: the Externality Valuation Assessment Tool; the ‘E-RISC’ project on the inclusion of environmental risk in sovereign bond assessment; and ‘Innovation through Collaboration’ on water stewardship. Gemma completed her Ph.D. focusing upon Ecological Footprints in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Bath, UK. She also holds a Masters of Aerospace Engineering from the same institution.
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About Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership: CISL is a globally influential Institute developing leadership and solutions for a sustainable economy.
Sue Imhoff
Director of Marketing Communication of JoVE (Journal of Visualized Experiments)
Sue brings over 25 years of experience delivering award-winning products to market in roles from product development, product management and product marketing to marketing communications and sales. Sue holds a BSEE, Electrical Engineering degree from the University of Washington.
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About JoVE (Journal of Visualized Experiments): Peer-reviewed scientific journal
Gillian Davis
Commercialisation Director of University of Cambridge Enterprise
Gillian joined Cambridge Enterprise in February 2009 to work as part of the Physical Sciences team. She holds a BA in Natural Sciences from Oxford University and a doctorate in laser applications. Having spent 10 years as an R&D engineer, she moved into Hi-Tech business development in 1997, obtaining an MBA with the Open University in 1998. After running the subsidiary of the US company Noise Cancellation Technologies for 10 years, she took up the post of Commercial Director at Dolomite Microfluidics in 2007.
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About University of Cambridge Enterprise: Cambridge Enterprise helps the University of Cambridge’s researchers & academics to commercialise their ideas for the benefit of society.
Paul Seabright
Deputy Director of University of Cambridge Enterprise
Paul joined Cambridge Enterprise in April 2009 to take up the post as head of consultancy services and is responsible for both IT and business support. In 2010 he was a board member and director of Cambridge University Technical Services Limited (CUTS), a consultancy company wholly owned by Cambridge Enterprise Ltd. He has considerable experience of technology transfer in both the biotech and medtech sectors, a degree in biochemistry and a PhD in chemistry from Manchester. Paul was previously head of business development at Health Enterprise East where he was instrumental in building a successful technology transfer and consultancy organisation for the NHS in this region. Before this he was a technology manager at Cambridge Enterprise for more than 3 years and led its life science team. Paul also spent 5 years as a senior scientist with a Cambridge biotech company developing the its medtech business and has been a postdoctoral researcher with the MRC and the University of Cambridge.
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About University of Cambridge Enterprise: Cambridge Enterprise helps the University of Cambridge’s researchers & academics to commercialise their ideas for the benefit of society.
Kelly Courtney
Managing Director, WomenAchieve of The Achieve Institute
Kelly Courtney is a strategic advisor with over 20 years designing and launching new initiatives at the intersection of industry, government and academia. As Founder and President of Pipeline Management, Kelly has led high profile initiatives with major policy implications and has provided strategic counsel to C-level Fortune 500 executives, major universities, investors and federal, state, local and international government officials. Her current work includes developing and launching a new business unit for The Achieve Institute. WomenAchieve is designed to help companies optimize the performance of women leaders, retain talent and narrow the gender leadership gap. Previously, Kelly served in The White House and the United States Small Business Administration. She holds an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a BA from the School for International Training.
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About The Achieve Institute: The Achieve Institute, our vision is to help people, teams and organizations experience their greatness through achievement.
Richard Radley
Operations Director of Breathing Buildings
Richard joined Breathing Buildings in 2008. Since this time he has been heavily involved in Manufacturing, Work Place Safety, Project Delivery, On Site Activities, Product Development and Value Engineering throughout the business. He currently leads Operations and is accountable for all post order activities.
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About Breathing Buildings: Breathing Buildings develops and commercializes low energy e-stack mixing ventilation systems.
Iris Bohnet
Director, Women and Public Policy Program of Harvard Kennedy School of Government
Iris Bohnet is Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and the director of its Women and Public Policy Program. She is also the co-chair of the Behavioral Insights Group (BIG) at the Center for Public Leadership at HKS, an associate director of the Harvard Decision Science Laboratory, and the faculty chair of the executive program “Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century” for the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders. From 2011 to 2014, she served as the Kennedy School’s Academic Dean. Currently, she serves on the boards of directors of Credit Suisse and University of Lucerne, as well as the Advisory Board of the Vienna University of Economics and Business, and numerous academic journals. She is a member of the Global Agenda Council on Behavior of the World Economic Forum. Professor Bohnet teaches decision-making, negotiation and gender in public policy and leadership in degree and executive programs, and has been engaged in the teaching, training and consulting of private and public sector leaders in the United States, Europe, India and the Middle East. A behavioral economist combining insights from economics and psychology, her research focuses on questions of trust and decision-making, often with a gender or cross-cultural perspective. Her most recent research examines “gender equality nudges,” interventions that decrease the gender gaps in organizations, politics and society. Professor Bohnet’s academic work has been published in the best journals of her profession, including the American Economic Review, the American Political Science Review, and the Quarterly Journal of Economics. Her work has been profiled by leading media outlets around the world. A Swiss citizen, she received her Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Zurich in 1997 and spent a year as a research fellow at the Haas School of Business at the University of California Berkeley from 1997-1998. She joined the Harvard Kennedy School as an assistant professor in 1998 and was made full professor in 2006. She is married to Michael Zurcher, and she and her husband have two children. The family lives in Newton, Massachusetts, USA. In addition to her work at Harvard University and the board memberships mentioned above, Iris Bohnet has been engaged as a speaker, advisor or participant with the following organizations in 2014: GetDiversity, EDGE, KPMG, Schellenberg Wittmer, SwissNex, University of Lugano, University of St. Gallen, University of Zurich, World Economic Forum, YWCA Boston.
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About Harvard Kennedy School of Government: Kennedy School of Government at Harvard university is a public policy and public administration school.
Eric Rosenbach
Co-Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs of Harvard Kennedy School of Government
As the Chief of Staff to Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, Eric Rosenbach was one of the senior-most leaders of an organization with 2.8 million personnel, a $585 billion annual budget and ongoing military operations in multiple locations around the world. Rosenbach was charged with managing some of the Department’s most sensitive decisions and ensuring implementation of transformative changes in the Department’s technology, budget, and talent management. He served as the Secretary’s closest strategic advisor on the war strategy and global coalition to defeat ISIS, the “rebalance” to Asia and the effort to check Russian aggression. Rosenbach also led the Department’s efforts to improve innovation by forging and managing key initiatives such as the Defense Digital Service, the Silicon Valley-based Defense Innovation Unit and the Defense Innovation Board. Before serving as Chief of Staff, Rosenbach was the Assistant Secretary of Defense, confirmed by the U.S. Senate, responsible for leading all aspects of the Department’s cyber strategy, policy and operations. His diverse portfolio as Assistant Secretary also included countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, space operations, antiterrorism, continuity of government and defense support to civil authorities. Rosenbach led the Department’s efforts to counter cyberattacks by Iran and North Korea on US critical infrastructure and deter Chinese theft of American firms’ intellectual property. Earlier, Rosenbach worked at the Harvard Kennedy School as the Executive Director for Research at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. In additional to running the Center, Rosenbach taught graduate-level classes on cyber and counterterrorism. Prior to his work at Harvard, he served as national security advisor for then-Senator Chuck Hagel and as a professional staff member on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence where he led oversight of Intelligence Community counterterrorism programs. Rosenbach also has significant experience in the private sector, where led the cybersecurity practice of a global management consulting firm that advised the executives of Fortune 500 companies on strategic risk mitigation strategies. Earlier in his career, he worked as the Chief Security Officer for Tiscali, the largest pan-European internet service provider, where he was responsible for all aspects of the firm’s cybersecurity. A former Army intelligence officer and Commander of a telecommunications intelligence unit, Rosenbach led a team that worked closely with NSA to provide strategic intelligence in direct support of commanders in Bosnia and Kosovo. The Director of Central Intelligence named his unit as the top intelligence organization in the U.S. military for two consecutive years. Rosenbach has authored many books and contributed articles on national security issues to the New York Times, Washington Post, and Boston Globe. The LA Times called his book Find, Fix, Finish, co-authored with Aki Peritz, “an important volume in the secret history of a nasty war.” He was a Fulbright Scholar and holds a Juris Doctor from Georgetown, Masters of Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, and Bachelor of Arts from Davidson College.
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About Harvard Kennedy School of Government: Kennedy School of Government at Harvard university is a public policy and public administration school.
Eric Rosenbach
Co-Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs of Harvard Kennedy School of Government
As the Chief of Staff to Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, Eric Rosenbach was one of the senior-most leaders of an organization with 2.8 million personnel, a $585 billion annual budget and ongoing military operations in multiple locations around the world. Rosenbach was charged with managing some of the Department’s most sensitive decisions and ensuring implementation of transformative changes in the Department’s technology, budget, and talent management. He served as the Secretary’s closest strategic advisor on the war strategy and global coalition to defeat ISIS, the “rebalance” to Asia and the effort to check Russian aggression. Rosenbach also led the Department’s efforts to improve innovation by forging and managing key initiatives such as the Defense Digital Service, the Silicon Valley-based Defense Innovation Unit and the Defense Innovation Board. Before serving as Chief of Staff, Rosenbach was the Assistant Secretary of Defense, confirmed by the U.S. Senate, responsible for leading all aspects of the Department’s cyber strategy, policy and operations. His diverse portfolio as Assistant Secretary also included countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, space operations, antiterrorism, continuity of government and defense support to civil authorities. Rosenbach led the Department’s efforts to counter cyberattacks by Iran and North Korea on US critical infrastructure and deter Chinese theft of American firms’ intellectual property. Earlier, Rosenbach worked at the Harvard Kennedy School as the Executive Director for Research at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. In additional to running the Center, Rosenbach taught graduate-level classes on cyber and counterterrorism. Prior to his work at Harvard, he served as national security advisor for then-Senator Chuck Hagel and as a professional staff member on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence where he led oversight of Intelligence Community counterterrorism programs. Rosenbach also has significant experience in the private sector, where led the cybersecurity practice of a global management consulting firm that advised the executives of Fortune 500 companies on strategic risk mitigation strategies. Earlier in his career, he worked as the Chief Security Officer for Tiscali, the largest pan-European internet service provider, where he was responsible for all aspects of the firm’s cybersecurity. A former Army intelligence officer and Commander of a telecommunications intelligence unit, Rosenbach led a team that worked closely with NSA to provide strategic intelligence in direct support of commanders in Bosnia and Kosovo. The Director of Central Intelligence named his unit as the top intelligence organization in the U.S. military for two consecutive years. Rosenbach has authored many books and contributed articles on national security issues to the New York Times, Washington Post, and Boston Globe. The LA Times called his book Find, Fix, Finish, co-authored with Aki Peritz, “an important volume in the secret history of a nasty war.” He was a Fulbright Scholar and holds a Juris Doctor from Georgetown, Masters of Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, and Bachelor of Arts from Davidson College.
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About Harvard Kennedy School of Government: Kennedy School of Government at Harvard university is a public policy and public administration school.
Gary Samore
Executive Director for Research of Harvard Kennedy School of Government
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About Harvard Kennedy School of Government: Kennedy School of Government at Harvard university is a public policy and public administration school.
Daniel Watts
Founder & Managing Director of Aluminati Network Group
Daniel leads the Aluminati team and has overall responsibility for defining the company’s technical and business strategies and with his deep sector knowledge he leads product innovation. Daniel founded the company in 2002 when he graduated from Oxford with an honours degree in Computation. An expert in online engagement, Daniel is regularly invited to speak at industry conferences and is in regular attendance at multiple CASE events per year. In his spare time Daniel enjoys the physical and mental challenges of basketball and has also coached the Darwin College ladies team to Cambridge championship titles for 4 consecutive years.
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About Aluminati Network Group: Aluminati Network Group provide online services and platforms to unite alumni, student and member networks.
Brindha Muniappan
Director of Programs of MIT Museum
Brindha Muniappan is the Director of Education and Public Programs at the MIT Museum. She actively produces programs for the public, including educational workshops for middle and high school students, speed-geeking science programs for adults, and hands-on explorations of engineering and technology for people of all ages. Prior to joining the MIT Museum, she developed exhibit content for the Marian Koshland Science Museum and explored multiple methods for public communication of science — including presentations for museum visitors, live TV segments, and podcasts — as an educator at the Boston Museum of Science. Brindha holds degrees in environmental engineering and biological engineering from MIT. Her passion for science communication led her from the research bench to the field of informal science education. She is delighted to be able to assist the JEI team in widening its efforts to connect with aspiring scientists.
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About MIT Museum: Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a world leader in research and education.
Katja Wald
Executive Director of MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge
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About MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge: MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge is an innovation-focused, volunteer-driven community.
Katie Bach
Managing Director of Good Jobs Institute
Katie Bach has spent most of her career focused on job creation, access, and quality. She is currently the Managing Director of the Good Jobs Institute, a non-profit dedicated to helping companies thrive by creating good jobs. Prior to joining the Good Jobs Institute, Katie was a Director of Global Strategy at Starbucks, where she led the development of the company’s annual strategic plan. Previously, she spent nearly five years in management consulting, primarily with McKinsey & Company, advising clients on organizational structure, human capital management, and strategy. While at McKinsey, Katie was also on the founding team of Generation, McKinsey’s global youth employment program. Katie has an undergraduate degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from the University of Oxford. She was valedictorian of her Master’s program in Global Politics at the London School of Economics and received her MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management. At MIT Sloan, she won a Siebel Scholarship, McKinsey Award, and Forte Fellowship, all for outstanding academic and leadership contributions.
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About Good Jobs Institute: Good Jobs Institute Their mission is to help companies thrive by creating good jobs.
Esther Duflo
Director of J-PAL
Esther Duflo is the Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics in the Department of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a co-founder and co-director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL). In her research, she seeks to understand the economic lives of the poor, with the aim to help design and evaluate social policies. She has worked on health, education, financial inclusion, environment and governance. Professor Esther Duflo’s first degrees were in history and economics from Ecole Normale Superieure, Paris. She subsequently received a Ph.D. in Economics from MIT in 1999.
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About J-PAL: J-PAL headquarters is a center within the Economics Department of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology .
