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Faculty Directory

Sean Carr
Office: 3rd Floor
Steve Ballmer Building
Phone: 206-987-9012
Email: sdcarr(at)uw.edu

Foster School of Business
University of Washington
Box: NA
Seattle, WA 98195

Sean Carr

Affiliate Associate Professor of Management
Executive Director and CEO of UW Global Innovation Exchange (GIX)

Education

PhD University of Virginia
MBA University of Virginia
MS Columbia University
BA Northwestern University

Academic Expertise

entrepreneurship
innovation
technology and innovation strategy

Positions Held

At the University of Washington since 2022
Assistant Professor of Business Administration, University of Virginia Darden School of Business (2013-2021)

Selected Publications

  1. “The Panic of 1907: Lessons Learned from the Market’s Perfect Storm“
    Book:Bruner, Robert F., and Carr, Sean, (forthcoming). New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2nd ed,
  2. “Financial innovation and the consequences of complexity: insights from major US banking crises.“
    Journal Article:Bruner, Robert F., Carr, Sean D., and Mehedi, A., (2016). Complexity and Crisis in the Financial System: Critical Perspectives on the Evolution of American and British Banking, pp. 13-35.
  3. “Prediction-and-Control-Based Strategies in Entrepreneurship: The Role of Information“
    Journal Article:Kuechle, G., Boulu-Reshef, B., and Carr, S., (2016). Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, Special Issue: Theories of Entrepreneurship, Vol. 10(1), pp. 43-64.
  4. “The Great Startup Slowdown“
    Journal Article:Carr, Sean D., (2012). Forbes.com,
  5. “In Search of Growth Leaders“
    Journal Article:Carr, Sean D., Liedtka, Jeanne M., Rosen, Robert, and Wiltbank, Robert, (2008). The Wall Street Journal, pp. R1.
  6. “Lessons from the Financial Crisis of 1907“
    Journal Article:Bruner, Robert F., and Carr, Sean D., (2007). Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, Vol. 19(4), pp. 115-124.

Honors and Awards

Kauffman Foundation Grant Awardee, 2014-17
Kauffman Dissertation Fellowship, 2012
Darden Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Award, 2011
Batten Media Fellowship, 2001
Phi Beta Kappa, 1990
Northwestern University, Murley Prize, 1990

Courses Taught

Fundamentals of Technology Strategy (FTS)
Today every firm must make choices about how to compete amid a swirling array of new and ever-evolving digital trends, including data analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, internet of things, automation, metaverse, and blockchain. FTS explores the economic foundations of these dynamics as we aim to understand their implications for the structure of industries and the nature of competition. Our primary objective is to hone students’ strategic-thinking skills by applying the concepts, models, and tools of strategic analysis in the context of the dynamic, changing nature of a technology-based competitive environment. Our emphasis in this course is on learning conceptual models and frameworks to help navigate the complexity and dynamism of our digital age.
Gales of Creative Destruction (GCD)
GCD is an elective in business and economic history that addresses the causes and consequences of disruptive technological innovation though history. This course will both help you understand the drivers of technological change and challenge you to grapple with its implications for business and society. It is intended to help you develop a knack for pattern-recognition, giving you the tools to draw lessons from paradigm-shifting technological change. During our time together, you will construct an intellectual framework for interpreting the conditions under which new technologies lead to disruption, enabling you to form a point-of-view about the future through reflections on the past.