Troy, N.Y. — Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute announced the appointment of Douglas Cumming, Ph.D., as director of the Severino Center for Technological Entrepreneurship at the Lally School of Management and Technology. A distinguished researcher in the area of venture capital, private equity, and IPOs, Cumming’s work focuses on the law and finance of entrepreneurship in the United States, Europe, North America, and the Asia-Pacific region.

“Dr. Cumming is an outstanding leader with an expansive vision focused on the study, research, and exchange of ideas regarding the critical issues in the field of entrepreneurship studies,” said David Gautschi, dean of the Lally School. “He is well prepared to provide leadership for the center’s primary role in educating future entrepreneurs given his expertise in finance, law, and economics. Dr. Cumming brings his considerable skills and experience to the Severino Center at a time when the Lally School is focused on advancing thought and practice in the areas of commercialization of technology with global reach and global impact.”

Prior to joining Rensselaer, Cumming was associate professor of finance at the University of New South Wales School of Banking and Finance in Sydney, Australia, and he has held visiting professorships at three universities in Europe (Cambridge, Amsterdam, and Frankfurt). Cumming is affiliated with Venture Capital Experts, a leading Web resource for venture capitalists, lawyers, and academics. He is a research associate at several centers for law, finance, and economics in Europe (University of Cambridge, University of Amsterdam, and University of Frankfurt, and Groupe d’Economie Mondiale Sciences Po in Paris), Australia (Capital Markets CRC in Sydney), and Canada (Van Horne Institute in Calgary).

Cumming is a frequent speaker, and has lectured in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia. His work has been presented at the American Finance Association, the European Finance Association, the American Law and Economics Association, and other international conferences. His publications have appeared in leading national and international journals.

Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Cumming holds a J.D. (law) and a Ph.D. in economics and finance from the University of Toronto. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.  He received his master’s degree in economics from Queens’ University, and a bachelor’s degree with first class joint honors in economics and finance from McGill University.

About the Severino Center
Established in 1988, and centered in the Lally School, the Severino Center lies at the core of the school's mission to educate future entrepreneurs in the conversion of technical ideas into new businesses, products, services, and solutions. The center provides a broad-based platform for entrepreneurs to make the transition from concept to company and serves as an intellectual gathering point for the study, research, and exchange of ideas regarding critical issues in the field of entrepreneurship studies. The center is named in honor of Rensselaer trustee Paul J. Severino ’69 and his wife, Kathleen M. Severino.

About Rensselaer’s Lally School
Rensselaer’s Lally School of Management and Technology was founded in 1963 as an integral part of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the nation’s oldest degree-granting technological university. Building on Rensselaer’s heritage of more than 175 years of leadership in science and engineering, the Lally School is dedicated to advancing business through innovation. The Lally School’s curriculum is designed to produce leaders who combine creative passion with the ability to integrate technology across business functions. The faculty emphasizes the value of hands-on experience available through campus resources such as the Severino Center for Technological Entrepreneurship and the nation’s first on-campus business incubator. Rensselaer’s Lally School offers graduate and undergraduate degree programs in management, doctoral programs in management and technology, an Executive MBA program, and a joint Sino-U.S. MBA for companies operating in China. For more information on the Lally School, go to www.lallyschool.rpi.edu.

Contact: Jessica Otitigbe
Phone: (518) 276-6050
E-mail: otitij@rpi.edu