My research and teaching interests sit at the intersection of strategy, international business, and technology management, which reflects my educational and professional background. I earned my Ph.D. in international business and a Masters of Applied Economics at the University of Michigan, where Will Mitchell and Joanne Oxley co-chaired my committee. I also hold an MS in library and information science from the University of Illinois and a BA in Japanese studies and mathematics from Earlham College.

From 1994 to 1996, I directed research on Japanese business practices and government policy at the Washington, DC, offices of the law firm Dewey Ballantine. In this capacity, I established and managed a team of researchers supporting clients including Eastman Kodak, the Semiconductor Industry Association, and firms in the steel, chemical, and electronics industries. Prior to that, I served as an international policy analyst for the National Aeronautic and Space Administration’s Scientific and Technical Information program. As Japanese information specialist for SCAN C2C, Inc., I performed research on Japanese technology and commerce for clients including General Electric, IBM, Ford Motor Company, and the US government. Other consulting and executive education clients have included General Motors, Air Products & Chemicals and Hewlett-Packard.

At Illinois, I am a member of both the strategy and international business groups in the College of Business. My appointment in Law partially reflects my experience with the international trade law group of the firm, Dewey Ballentine, before returning to academia. It also reflects my interest in how legal institutions affect the formation and governance of alliances. At the Institute for Genomic Biology, I am part of the BioBEL (Business, Economic and Legal Aspects of Biotechnology) research group.

In 2008, I became Director of the Illinois Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER), after leading the campus-wide Science and Technology in the Pacific Century initiative.

I am an affiliate faculty of the Illinois Center for East Asian & Pacific Studies and serve on the university’s International Advisory Council. I am a member of the editorial review boards for the Strategic Management Journal, Organization Science, and Strategic Organization. I also serve on the Advisory Council of the Center for Entrepreneur and Innovation Policy Study at Japan’s National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies.