SMU Distinguished Speaker Series: Developing an Advanced High Tech Entrepreneurial Habitat

Speaking on Developing an Advanced High Tech Entrepreneurial Habitat at the Singapore Management University Distinguished Speaker Series is Professor William Miller.

He will discuss the important features of an advanced high tech entrepreneurial business, social, and political environment (habitat) that is conducive to entrepreneurship and breeds entrepreneurs. These features include the institutions, the regional dynamics, and the social attitudes and practices. He will also give examples of entrepreneurial regions and their features as well as changes in policies and practices that are leading to changes in various regions in the world. Universities and Venture Capital are among the important institutions for promoting entrepreneurship.

About The Speaker

Dr. William F. Miller has spent about half of his professional life in business and about half in academia. Dr. Miller came to Silicon Valley from a position as Director of the Applied Mathematics Division at the Argonne National Laboratory. At the Argonne National Laboratory Dr. Miller conducted research in basic atomic physics and in computer science. He and his colleagues began early work in what is now called computational science.

Dr. Miller was the last faculty member recruited to Stanford University by the legendary Frederick Terman who was then Vice President and Provost of Stanford. He was recruited to help form the Computer Science Department at Stanford and to direct the Computation Group at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center(SLAC). He led the computerization of SLAC and later as Associate Provost for Computing he led the computerization of the Stanford Campus.

As Vice President for Research and later as Vice President and Provost, Miller championed the establishment of the Office of Technology Licensing which has become the model for such activities at other universities here and abroad. He actively facilitated the establishment of a number of interdisciplinary programs such as the following:

The Human Biology Program
The International Security and Arms Control Program
The Values Technology and Society Program

Currently, Dr. Miller co-directs an international research project called the Stanford Program on Regions on Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

In 1968 Dr. Miller also played a role in the founding of the first Mayfield Fund(venture capital) as a special limited partner and advisor to the general partners.

As President and CEO of SRI International Miller opened SRI to the Pacific Region, he established the spin-out and commercialization program at SRI and established the David Sarnoff Research Center(now the Sarnoff Corporation) as a for-profit subsidiary of SRI. He became the Chairman and CEO of the David Sarnoff Research Center.

In 1982 Miller was appointed to the National Science Board; additionally he served on the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board of the National Research Council. He has served on the board of directors of several major companies such as Signetics, Firemans Fund America, Wells Fargo Bank, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Varian Associates, and Borland Software, Corp.

In 1990 Dr. Miller retired from SRI International and returned to Stanford half time where he taught technology related courses, carried out research on the IT industry and on the characteristics of entrepreneurial regions. He also spent about half of his time working with start-ups and non-profits in Silicon Valley. He helped organize Joint Venture Silicon Valley Network and served on the board of directors for three years. He co-founded and served as Vice Chairman of SmartValley, Inc. Additionally he aided the formation of CommerceNet and served on the board of directors. Dr. Miller was a founding director and served as Vice Chairman of the Center for Excellence in Non-profits, and was a Founding Member and Chair of the Campaign Cabinet(1992-1994) of the Alexis de Tocqueville Society of Santa Clara. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Sentius Corp, Nanostellar, Inc., and Lumiette, Inc. and is a Partner in Actium Ventures(Venture Capital).

In 1997 at the 10th anniversary of the founding of the David Sarnoff Research Center, Dr. Miller along with Jack Welsh, Myron DuBain, and James Tietjen received the Sarnoff Founders Medal.

Additionally, Dr. Miller worked with foreign countries helping them establish their technology policies and practices,notably Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, and Korea. He served on the International Panel of the Singapore Science and Technology Board, and currently serves on the International Advisory Panel for the Multimedia Super Corridor in Malaysia.

Dr. Miller works with the Cheetah Conservation Fund Namibia which is dedicated to preserving cheetahs in the wild in Namibia. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the Wildlife Conservation Network

Dr. Miller received the BS(1949), MS (1951), PhD (1956) and Honorary DSC(1972) from Purdue University.

Event Details

When: Thursday 19th August 2010
Time: 11.30am-1.00pm
Where: Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium, Level 2 (SMU Schools of Accountancy & Law), 60 Stamford Road Singapore 178900

Register here.