S. Thomas Emerson, Ph. D.
David T. and Lindsay J. Morgenthaler Chair in Entrepreneurship
Tepper School of Business
Current assignment: Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar

Expertise: Idea generation/opportunity recognition, startup company formation and critical success factors, angel and venture capital financing, corporate governance, intellectual property protection and valuation, international marketing and finance

Global Education Statement:

The writer Ayn Rand once observed that “Americans were first to understand that wealth has to be created.” It is easy to see why Americans would be first to understand this basic concept. America’s early settlers arrived in the New World from 17th and 18th century Europe. European nations of that time were monarchies. To a European worker of that time, (as was seen in the writings of Marx, Engels and others) the “wealth problem” was a problem of unequal wealth distribution. There was a tiny ruling class that had almost all of the wealth, and the vast majority had almost nothing.

The view from western side of the Atlantic was immediately quite different. The New World of that time was a vast, empty continent, where no one had wealth. It would have been obvious to our early settlers that, if they wanted material goods, they had to create the wealth that would enable the purchases. That is one reason why America evolved a uniquely entrepreneurial culture. The other often cited reason is that the types of people who would journey across oceans to seek opportunity were inherently risk takers. No doubt both factors contributed to America’s entrepreneurial culture and success.

Today, entrepreneurs are a principal driving force for change and innovation. They are a major source of wealth creation in our society and, when successful, they are highly respected and honored. To a much greater extent than in other developed nations, the United States has evolved an appreciation of entrepreneurial success, a tolerance for entrepreneurial failure, and an extensive support industry for entrepreneurs, including venture capitalists, investment bankers and other professionals whose businesses are dependent upon the success of entrepreneurs.

In my 36-year career as an entrepreneur, I founded and built three high technology companies, creating in the process more than $600 million in shareholder value. I raised more than $55 million is venture capital from some of the most respected venture capital firms, including Hambrecht & Quist Ventures, Menlo Ventures, St. Paul Venture Capital, Welsh Carson Anderson & Stowe, Alan Patricof Associates, Charles River Capital, Cigna Ventures, Olympic Venture Partners, Benchmark Capital and several others. As I gained experience as an entrepreneur, it became much easier to produce the next success. That is why I am convinced that our universities should be teaching entrepreneurship, and I decided to devote my remaining career to the teaching of entrepreneurship. It has been a rewarding choice.

My research interests include entrepreneurial success factors, government policies that contribute to or inhibit entrepreneurial wealth creation, corporate governance, intellectual property protection and valuation, and international marketing and finance.

Brett Browning, Senior Systems Scientist
Robotics/CMUQ Computer Science

Expertise: Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Vision, Machine Learning

Iliano Cervesato, Associate teaching professor, Computer Science Qatar

Expertise: Computer science and education in the Middle East

M. Bernardine Dias, Assistant Research Professor
Robotics Institute
Carnegie Mellon Pittsburgh and Doha campuses

Expertise: Computing technology for underserved communities, ICTD (information and communication technologies for development), Field Robotics

Global Education Statement: Many communities throughout the world have been underserved by technology to date and in some cases technology has caused barriers that have impeded their progress. These communities (whether they be poor rural populations in Africa and Asia or poor urban populations in South and North America or physically challenged communities throughout the world) have not benefited from state-of-the-art technology despite the pressing needs of these communities and the fact that the “developing world” constitutes of more than two thirds of the global population. Much of this divide is due to incompatible monetary, infrastructural, and operational skill requirements for much of modern-day technology. Thus, designing and implementing technology that can enhance suitable and sustainable development in these communities provides unique challenges in creativity and resourcefulness. While many organizations continue to focus on a variety of means to assist these communities in their quest for sustainable development, fewer organizations have studied how technology can empower these communities. My principal research objective is to create innovative technology solutions that address the needs of these communities in a culturally relevant and locally sustainable manner. Primarily I work with resource-constrained developing communities where the accessible infrastructure and indigenous skills are very different from the norms prevalent in the technologically developed world. My work in this area has helped to advance the fast growing field of ICTD (Information and Communication Technologies for Development), and my TechBridgeWorld research group, which now spans both the Pittsburgh and Doha campuses, is growing in recognition for our contributions to this field.

Selma Limam Mansar, Associate Teaching Professor
Information Systems, Doha

Expertise: Global Project Management, Management of Global Systems Development and Sourcing

Kelly Hutzell, Assistant Teaching Professor, School of Architecture
Carnegie Mellon Pittsburgh and Doha campuses

Expertise: Urban design, Sustainable Urbanism, Public Space, Urban development of Doha, Qatar

Courses: Mapping Urbanism, Urban Design Methods, Architecture for Non-Majors, Urban Laboratory Design Studio