Charlie An
Assistant Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship
Contact
CB 3490, McColl 4543 Chapel Hill, NC 27599
Charlie An’s research focuses on the intersection of firms’ innovation strategies and government institutions, particularly how intellectual property (IP) laws and related policies influence innovators and their technologies, and vice versa.
Dr. An explores this phenomenon in both domestic and global markets, examining empirical contexts such as IP application, licensing, and enforcement (including patent litigation). His research delves into micro-level factors such as individual expertise and biases, as well as macro-level factors, including the global IP landscape and international technology gaps.
He combines large-data analysis and theoretical predictions derived from formal modeling. Dr. An and his team developed a unique and comprehensive dataset that tracks the IP activities of Global Fortune 500 multinational firms across more than 50 countries over more than a decade.
Dr. An’s teaching interests include strategy and entrepreneurship.
His research has received funding from the National Science Foundation, Centre of Economic Policy Research, and McDonnell International Scholar Academy.
He received his PhD and MSBA from the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, and his MA and BA in economics from Yonsei University.
