University College Dublin

Faculty Member, School of Geography Planning and Environmental Policy

Lecturer

About

I am a lecturer at the School of Geography, Planning & Environmental Policy, University College Dublin. My doctoral research, which I have recently completed, focuses on the evolutionary geography of knowledge formation, and in particular the spatial and sectoral dynamics of knowledge spillovers, i.e. externalities derived from the non-pecuniary exchange of knowledge, in the Canadian economy, over a time period of 25 years. The investigation of knowledge externalities is carried out at the metropolitan level by means of an advanced time series of patent data.

I am in the process of expanding the patent database I already developed, to include additional relevant socio-economic indicators from various sources, in order to construct a superior innovation database that incorporates advanced measures of regional innovation performance, which, in addition to North America, will also focus on Ireland, among other European countries. In the short run, this will enable the investigation of emerging concepts in economic and urban geography, i.e. 'related variety', and the 'local buzz' and 'global pipelines' research framework, by applying sophisticated spatial analysis techniques to a wide range of inquiries, providing applications to evaluate innovation processes, in order to support theory building, and policy making. My future research efforts will also be directed towards the evolutionary economic analysis of global 'mega-regions' with particular focus on the dynamic nature of network structures, in order to enhance our understanding of the impact of specialization and diversity on regional economic prosperity.

In addition, I am involved in several multidisciplinary and multi-collaborative research projects concerning the socio-spatial impact of innovation on regional prosperity. Currently I am also editing a book together with Maryann Feldman (UNC) and Harald Bathelt (UofT) titled "Beyond Territory: Dynamic Geographies of Knowledge Creation, Diffusion, and Innovation"; which will be published by Routledge in their Regions and Cities series in 2011. I am affiliated with the Martin Prosperity Institute at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. My career path combines personal, education and research experience acquired in Europe, the United States, and Canada within a variety of areas pertaining to the spatial analysis of socio-economic phenomena.

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