Education

• Ph.D. University of St. Gallen
• MBA Columbia University Business School

Areas of Research

• Creative Social Challenges, Design Culture, and Collective Ideation
• Entrepreneurial Capacity
• Institutional Change Micro-processes

Biography

Dr. Edgell is currently a Professor of Technology Management, Co-Director of the Joint Center for Creativity, Design, and Venturing, and had volunteered for one year to be the Interim Dean of the College of Business Management at SUNY Polytechnic Institute. During May 2019, he received the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching. He has been a Visiting Professor at the Swiss Business School in Zurich and has delivered research papers and lectures at Stanford University’s Law School, the University of California San Francisco’s School of Dentistry, the California College of the Arts, and the University of St. Gallen. Previously, he was an Assistant Professor at American University’s Kogod School of Business where he was named Outstanding Faculty. Also, he has taught at San Francisco State University’s College of Business.

Dr. Edgell has served in various leadership capacities as a department chair, interim dean, and on several committees. He was a former board member of the Cyber Security Institute at Griffiss Institute and currently serves as a board member of Sculpture Space. He has presented his scholarship, reviewed papers, and chaired sessions at the Academy of Management and the International Atlantic Economics Society among others.

Dr. Edgell’s scholarship agenda expands upon his deep commitment to exploring the interdisciplinary intersections among economics, human behavior, the humanities, art, and design. He researches creative social challenges, institutional change processes, design culture, collective ideation techniques, and entrepreneurial capacity development. His current research initiative further develops the sociotechnical theories and practices by which collectives assemble and mobilize to tackle society’s most pressing and intractable creative challenges, ranging from grand opportunities such as the commercialization of interplanetary space to wicked problems including intensifying climate change. He and his colleagues’ work theorizes that entrepreneurial acumen may be transformed into a socially beneficial creative change capacity for these challenges through the interdisciplinary synthesis of ontologies from the humanities and design thinking. This body of work contributes theory development and testing of the microprocesses and institutional arrangements that enable social creativity capacity as a collective means for conceptualizing and implementing solutions.

He has collaborated with scholars from Temple University, Stanford University, and other institutions. He has published several scholarly research articles and presented multiple conference papers. Several research projects have been featured on National Public Radio’s Academic Minute. Recently he was a co-PI recipient, along with Dr. Daryl Lee, of a prestigious $100,000 National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), Humanities Connections grant (9.5% acceptance rate) for Reimagining Entrepreneurship: An Integrated Pathway for Creative and Ethical Venturing. In addition, NYSTEC recently donated $25,000 for supporting his entrepreneurial Initiatives and related research at the College of Business Management. In 2017, the SUNY System awarded Dr. Edgell and Dr. Lee a $40,000 Performance Improvement Funds (PIF) grant. He has earned the Social Sciences Research Network (SSRN) top 5% of Authors designation based on total downloads. To view Dr. Edgell’s research papers, go to https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=460242

Dr. Edgell received his PhD in international multicultural management (magna cum laude) from the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. He holds an MBA from Columbia University Business School in the City of New York and a five-year Bachelor of Architecture from Kent State University, College of Architecture and Environmental Design. Through Columbia's Chazen Institute of International Business, he studied at Erasmus University, Rotterdam School of Management in The Netherlands. He is a registered Architect and has studied at Harvard University, Graduate School of Design.

Recent Publications

• Edgell, R. A. (2023). The sociotechnical imaginaries of contemporary commercial space: Explicating Homo Galacticus, Techno-Utopianism, and Capitalistkind. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics SciTech Proceedings, forthcoming.
• Edgell, R. A., & Lee, D. (2022). Theorizing creative challenges: Why are social creativity and reimagined universities necessary for tackling society’s problems? Journal of Creativity, forthcoming.
• Edgell, R.A., (2022) Grand challenges: The theoretics of discursive engagement, socio-temporal dilemmas, and impact. Academia Letters, Article 5164.
• Edgell, R. A., & Olney, J. (2021). Institutionalizing Outer Space: A sociotechnical explication of the Comsat-Intelsat actor-network. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2021(1), 10228.
• Edgell, R. A., & Olney, J. (2021). Interplanetary institutionalization: Should humans become space faring? Academia Letters, Article 531.
• Berardino, L., Edgell, R. A., Fronmueller, M., Olney, J., Peterson, D., & Zeina, E. (2019). Design culture, immersion, and visuo-spatial learning: Re-envisioning training. Business Education Innovation Journal, 11(2), In press.
• Edgell, R. A.. Khasawneh, F., & Moustafellos, J. (2018). Reimagining entrepreneurship: Design culture exposure as a positive mediator for entrepreneurial capacity. Journal of Creativity and Business Innovation, 4, 60-77.
• Edgell, R. A., & Moustafellos, J. (2017). Toward an architectural theory of innovation: Explicating design, networks, and microprocesses. Journal of Creativity and Business Innovation, 3, 5-34.
• Edgell, Robert A. and Kimmich, P. (2015). A new view on innovation and language: Design culture, discursive practices, and metaphors. Journal of Creativity and Business Innovation, 1 (annual), 107-128.
• Yucel, I. and Edgell, Robert A. (2015). Conceptualizing factors of adoption for head mounted displays: Toward an integrated multi-perspective framework. Journal of Virtual World Research, 8(2), 1-10.
• Edgell, Robert A., Watson, D., Harasta, B., Pfyl, R., & Xu, Y. (2015). Explicating media, governance, and capitalism: A critical comparative analysis of historical cases. Corporate Board: Role, Duties and Composition, 11(1), 30-46.
• Edgell, Robert A. & Vogl, R. (2013). A theory of innovation: Benefit, harm, and legal regimes. Law, Innovation and Technology, 5(1), 21-53.
• Edgell, Robert A. (2013). Developing nations and sustainable entrepreneurial policy: Growing into novelty, growing out of poverty. Journal of Applied Business Research, 2(1), 20-36.
• Edgell, Robert A. & Vogl, R. (2011). A network view of human ingestion and health: Instrumental artificial intelligence. In B. Johnston, & M.-A. Williams (Eds.), Proceedings of the AAAI-11 (Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence) Workshops: AI and Smarter Living. San Francisco, CA: AAAI Press.

Recent Conference Presentations

• Edgell, R. A., & Lee, D. (2022). Creative challenges, sociotemporal dilemmas, and institutional capacities. Paper presented at the 2022 Creativity Conference, Ashland, Oregon.
• Edgell, R. A., & Olney, J. (2021). “Grasping for the horizon: New views on institutional stalls” concept, at the Academy of Management Perspectives’ Proposal Development Workshop, Virtual.
• Lee, D. & Edgell, R. A. (2019) Reimagining Entrepreneurship. Research presentation for SUNY Faculty Development Conference at SUNY New Paltz, New Paltz, NY.
• Imbruce, V., Smart, P., Edgell, R. A., Lee, D., Malazita, J., Rouse, R., Hermsen, L., Newman. R., Goldsmith, M. L., & Hurley, P. (2019). Humanities, STEM, and Management: New interdisciplinary pathways for 21st century learning. “HEDs UP” Panel presentation in the Innovative Teaching and Learning Practices and Assessment track at the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA.
• Edgell, R. A., Khasawneh, F., & Moustafellos, J. (2017). Reimagining entrepreneurship: Design culture exposure as a positive mediator for entrepreneurial capacity. Paper presented at the 84th International Atlantic Economic Conference, Montreal, Canada.
• Edgell, Robert A., & Moustafellos, J. (2015). Toward an architectural theory of innovation: Explicating design, networks, and microprocesses. Paper presented at the Academy of Management 2015, Vancouver, Canada.
• Edgell, Robert A., & Kimmich, P. (2015). Speaking in tongues: Design culture, discursive practices, and metaphors. Paper presented at the Academy of Management 2015, Vancouver, Canada.
• Edgell, Robert A. (2014). A sociotechnological theory of discursive change and entrepreneurial capacity: Novelty and networks. Paper presented at the Academy of Management 2014, Philadelphia, PA.

NPR Academic Minute Segments

To listen to the segments below, click on the associated link then scroll down and click on the audio bar play button:

• 2021 Radio, Featured researcher for “Listening to Outer Space” on National Public Radio’s Academic Minute (air date 8/6/2021) https://academicminute.org/2021/08/robert-edgell-suny-polytechnic-institute-listening-to-outer-space/ 
• 2021 Radio, Featured researcher for “1962 and the First Commercial Space Firm” on National Public Radio’s Academic Minute (air date 6/11/2018) https://academicminute.org/2021/06/robert-edgell-suny-polytechnic-institute-1962-and-the-first-commercial-space-firm/
• 2021 Radio, Featured researcher for “Humans and Outer Space” on National Public Radio’s Academic Minute (air date 5/10/2021) https://academicminute.org/2021/05/robert-edgell-suny-polytechnic-institute-humans-and-outer-space/
• 2018 Radio, Featured researcher for “Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs” on National Public Radio’s Academic Minute (air date 9/7/2018) https://academicminute.org/2018/09/robert-edgell-suny-poly-small-businesses-and-entrepreneurs/ 
• 2018 Radio, Featured researcher for “Meaningful Transparency” on National Public Radio’s Academic Minute (air date 8/8/2018) https://academicminute.org/2018/08/robert-edgell-suny-polytechnic-institute-meaningful-transparency/ 
• 2018 Radio, Featured researcher for “Economic Vitality and the Arts” on National Public Radio’s Academic Minute (air date 7/2/2018)   https://academicminute.org/2018/07/robert-edgell-suny-polytechnic-institute-economic-vitality-and-the-arts/ 
• 2018 Radio, Featured researcher for “Visioneers and Venturers” on National Public Radio’s Academic Minute (air date 6/6/2018)  https://academicminute.org/2018/06/robert-edgell-suny-polytechnic-institute-visioneers-and-venturers/ 
• 2018 Radio, Featured researcher for “Reimagining Entrepreneurship” on National Public Radio’s Academic Minute (air date 5/9/2018)  https://academicminute.org/2018/05/robert-edgell-suny-polytechnic-institute-re-imagining-entrepreneurship/ 
• 2016 Radio, Featured researcher for “Media and Governance” on National Public Radio’s Academic Minute (air date 11/11/2016) http://academicminute.org/2016/11/robert-edgell-suny-polytechnic-institute-media-and-governance/
• 2016 Radio, Featured researcher for “Innovation and Language” on National Public Radio’s Academic Minute (air date 10/7/2016) http://academicminute.org/2016/10/robert-edgell-suny-polytechnic-institute-innovation-and-language/
• 2016 Radio, Featured Academic Minute broadcast on National Public Radio’s Best of Our Knowledge (edition #1356, air date 09/15/2016) http://academicminute.org/2016/09/robert-edgell-featured-on-the-best-of-our-knowledge-2/
• 2016 Radio, Featured researcher for “Health & A.I.” on National Public Radio’s Academic Minute (air date 9/2/2016)
  https://academicminute.org/2016/09/robert-edgell-suny-polytechnic-institute-health-a-i/ 
• 2016 Radio, Featured researcher for “Seeing 3D” on National Public Radio’s Academic Minute (air date 8/2/2016)
  https://academicminute.org/2016/08/robert-edgell-suny-polytechnic-institute-seeing-3d/ 
• 2016 Radio, Featured researcher for “Beneficial Innovation” on National Public Radio’s Academic Minute (air date 1/12/2016)
  http://academicminute.org/2016/01/robert-edgell-suny-polytechnic-institute-beneficial-innovation/
• 2015 Radio, Featured researcher for “Creativity and Community” on National Public Radio’s Academic Minute (air date 6/26/2015) http://academicminute.org/2015/06/robert-edgell-suny-polytechnic-institute-creativity-and-community/
• 2015 Radio, Featured Academic Minute broadcast on National Public Radio’s Best of Our Knowledge (edition #1281, air date 4/9/2015) http://academicminute.org/2015/04/robert-edgell-featured-on-the-best-of-our-knowledge/ 
• 2015 Radio, Featured researcher for “Architectural Technology Management” on National Public Radio’s Academic Minute (air date 3/13/2015) http://academicminute.org/2015/03/robert-edgell-suny-polytechnic-institute-architectural-technology-management/