Short Bio

I am currently an economics Ph.D. candidate at Cornell University, working under the supervision of Prof. Chris Forman and Prof. Matt Marx.

My research sits at the intersection of strategic management, innovation, and entrepreneurship. I focus on two main areas. The first explores university-industry interaction and its implications, and the second examines how policies, resources, and the institutional environment shape innovation.

My work has been recognized as a runner-up in the INFORMS/Organization Science Best Dissertation Proposal Competition (2025), and with the Wharton Innovation Doctoral Symposium Best Paper Award (2025), the DRUID Steven Klepper Award, and a nomination for the SMS Best PhD Paper Prize.

I will join the HKU Business School as an Assistant Professor of Management and Strategy in Fall 2027, following a one-year postdoc at Cornell.

Research Interest

• Innovation: university–industry interaction, market for technology.
• Entrepreneurship: commercialization strategy, diversity and entrepreneurship.

Education

• Ph.D. in Economics, 2020 - , Cornell University, U.S.
• B.A. in Economics, 2016 - 2020, Peking University, China

What’s New

• [October 2025] I will present my “Million Dollar Plants” paper in INFORMS/Organization Science Best Dissertation Proposal Competition in Atlanta.
• [October 2025] I will present my “Million Dollar Plants” paper in SMS Annual Conference in San Francisco.

Working Papers

• How Does Industry Shape Academic Science? Evidence from “Million Dollar Plants” .
  Awards:
  - Finalist, INFORMS/Organization Science Best Dissertation Proposal Competition 2025
  - Best Paper Award, Winner, Wharton Innovation Doctoral Symposium 2025
  - Best PhD Paper Award, Nominee, SMS Annual Conference 2025
  Seminar and Conference Presentations:
  - 2025: INFORMS Annual Meeting*, SMS Annual Conference*, Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, Max Planck Innovation & Entrepreneurship Seminar, DRUID, Strategy Science Conference, Wharton Innovation Doctoral Symposium.
  - 2024: Georgia Tech REER Conference, NBER Summer Institute, International Conference on the Science of Science and Innovation, Duke Strategy PhD Conference.
  ∗ Scheduled
• Exploring the Demand for External Technologies: The Roles of Appropriability and Absorptive Capacity (w. David Hsu).
  - Under Review at Strategic Management Journal
• Peers Matter: The Heterogeneous Effects of Female Peers on Scientists’ Research Focus .
• Closing the Racial Gap in Entrepreneurship: The Role of Spousal Public Sector Jobs (w. Qian Wang).
  Award:
  - DRUID 2025 Steven Klepper Award for Best Young Scholar Paper

Works in Progress

• University Technology and Startup Funding (w. Pierre Azoulay & Matt Marx).
• The Way to Commercialize: Startup Formation or License? (w. David Hsu).
• When Data Fades: Data Investment, Depreciation, and Firm Market Value (w. Prasanna Tambe).
• The Power of Market: Policy Reforms and Innovation in Chinese Pharma Sector (w. Panle Barwick & Tianli Xia).

Teaching

• [Fall 2021 and 2022] Econometrics (PhD level), rating: 4.9/5.0, Cornell.
  Course description: Gives the probabilistic and statistical background for meaningful application of econometric techniques. Topics include probability theory probability spaces, random variables, distributions, moments, transformations, conditional distributions, distribution theory and the multivariate normal distribution, convergence concepts, laws of large numbers, central limit theorems, Monte Carlo simulation; statistics: sample statistics, sufficiency, exponential families of distributions.
• [Spring 2024] Introductory Macroeconomics, rating: 4.9/5.0, Cornell.
  Course description: Analysis of aggregate economic activity in relation to the level, stability, and growth of national income. Topics may include the determination and effects of unemployment, inflation, balance of payments, deficits, and economic development, and how these may be influenced by monetary, fiscal, and other policies.
• [Spring 2024] Digital Platform Strategy (MBA Level), Cornell.
• [Spring 2025] Venture Creation Lab (MBA Level), University of Pennsylvania.

Student comments:

• "Hongyuan is an excellent TA! He is so patient with all the students and tries to help the students. He is super willing to help students. I am so glad to have him as our TA this semester."
• "He is the best TA I have met thus far"
• "Very attentive and caring TA, is always willing to help and knows so much of the course."
• "I thought the TA sections were much more valuable than the actual lecture. In fact, the TA seems like a better teacher than the prof. He might not know the material as well as the prof at this time, but he's a much better teacher and I learned much more from him and his sessions."
• "I learned more in the discussion sections than the lectures. The TA sections reviewed material for exams which was very helpful. It was a combination of content and practice each session."

Contact

Address: 109 Tower Rd, Ithaca, NY 14853
Office Location: Uris Hall at Cornell University
Email: hx276 (at) cornell.edu