Thomas Byers

Bio

At Stanford University since 1995, Professor Tom Byers focuses on education regarding high-growth entrepreneurship and technology innovation. He is the first holder of the Entrepreneurship Professorship endowed chair in the School of Engineering, and is also a Bass University Fellow in Undergraduate Education. He has been a faculty director since the inception of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP), which serves as the entrepreneurship center for the engineering school. STVP includes the Mayfield Fellows work/study program for undergraduates, the Accel Innovation Scholars for PhD students, and the Entrepreneurship Corner (ECorner) collection of thought leader videos. He is a principal investigator and the director of the Epicenter, which is funded by the National Science Foundation to stimulate entrepreneurship education at all USA engineering and science colleges. He is the co-author of an entrepreneurship textbook called Technology Ventures: From Idea to Enterprise that is published by McGraw-Hill.

He is a past recipient of the prestigious Gordon Prize by the National Academy of Engineering in the USA and Stanford University's Gores Award, which is its highest honor for excellence in teaching. He has been a member of advisory boards at UC Berkeley, the Harvard Business School, the World Economic Forum, Conservation International, and several private enterprises. Tom was executive vice president and general manager of Symantec Corporation during its formation, and started his business career at Accenture. Tom holds a BS in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research and an MBA from UC Berkeley. He also earned a PhD in Business Administration (Management Science) at UC Berkeley.

Academic Appointments

• Professor (Teaching), Management Science and Engineering
• Affiliate, Precourt Institute for Energy

Administrative Appointments

• Director and co-PI, National Center for Engineering Pathways to Innovation (Epicenter) (2011 - 2016)
• Faculty Director, Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP) (1995 - 2016)

Honors & Awards

• Entrepreneurship Professorship in the School of Engineering, Stanford University (2012-present)
• Gordon Prize, National Academy of Engineering (2009)
• Olympus Innovation Award, NCIIA (2007)
• Entrepreneurship Educator of the Year Award, United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (2005)
• Gores Award, Stanford University (2005)
• Kauffman Award, American Society of Engineering Education (2005)
• Bass University Fellow in Undergraduate Education, Stanford University (2002-present)
• Tau Beta Pi Award, Stanford University (2002)
• Innovation in Pedagogy Award, Academy of Management (1998)

Professional Education

• BS, UC Berkeley, Industrial Engineering and Operations Research
• MBA, Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, Business Administration
• PhD, Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, Business Administration (Management Science)