Ph.D. - Sociology
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - 1976
Donald Hicks
Professor Emeritus of Public Policy and Political Economy
Professional Preparation
B.A. - Sociology
Indiana University - 1969
Indiana University - 1969
Research Areas
Research Interests
My research interests have focused on the economic and industrial dynamics of scientific discovery and technological innovation, with a special focus on processes of emerging technologies, industries, and advanced industrial regions. Recent research has included studies on prospects for anticipating demand for ultraprecision composite and nanoscale production, “designer materials,” toolsets, and precision manufacturing processes; the role of venture capital investment in regional/industrial transformation; value creation in bioscience commercialization; the role of information and communication technologies (ICT) in health care service transformation; and time-to-market competitive pressures on product innovation and industry change. During the 2006-2015 period, I served as Special Assistant to President Daniel. In this role, I sought to extend the “reach” of UTD’s influence by creating/developing relationships and thickening institutional interactions and collaboration between university-based research activities and industrial and commercial activities in North Texas and beyond. Most recently I have guided the development of four strategic initiatives that engage a variety of centers of research and education across the university and target convergence opportunities at the intersection of key regional industrial and technology competencies. These activities within and beyond the university have continuously informed my classroom teaching and supervision of dissertation research by my graduate students in the Public Policy and Political Economy and Economics graduate programs.Publications
Intelligent ICTEnabled EMS: Eclipse of the Golden Hour. (with J. Cox) IEEE
Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, Proceedings, (Oct.), pp. 5963. 2007 - Publication
New Firm Formation: Dynamics and Determinants, (with V. Sutaria) Annals of Regional Science (Special Issue on Firm Demography and Spatial Dynamics), Vol. 38, No. 2 (May-June 2004), pp. 1-22. Reprinted in ICFAI Journal of Industrial Economics. 2004 - Publication
Creating a Biotechnology Cluster in the Dallas Region: Rationale and a Roadmap (2004). STARTech Early Ventures. 2004 - Publication
Bringing Dallas to Life- Accelerating the Development of a Regional Bio-Economy: Opportunities and Obstacles (2004). STARTech Early Ventures. 2004 - Publication
Schumpeterian Churn Dynamics and Regional Productivity Performance, (with Y. Lee) International Business & Economic Research Journal, Volume 2, Number 1, January 2003, pp. 83-98. 2003 - Publication
The Evolving DFW Metroplex Economy: Performance and Prospects (2003). North Texas Future Fund, http://www.ntc-dfw.org/news/eereport.html 2003 - Publication
The Financial Undertow of Rapid Technical Advance in New Product Development, Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, Vol. 1096, (2001), pp. 1-23. 2001 - Publication
Technical Innovation and Endogenous Adjustment in the Telecommunications Industry, Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Special Issue on Innovation in Telecommunications Vol. 10, No. 2-3, 2001, pp. 69-96. 2001 - Publication
Appointments
Assistant to the President
The University of Texas at Dallas [2006–Present]
The University of Texas at Dallas [2006–Present]
Senior Research Fellow
University of Texas at Austin [2000–Present]
University of Texas at Austin [2000–Present]
Vice Chair
The University of Texas at Dallas [1989–1996]
The University of Texas at Dallas [1989–1996]
Senior Consultant
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport [1989–1991]
North Texas Commission
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport [1989–1991]
North Texas Commission
Vice President
North Texas Commission [1986–1989]
North Texas Commission [1986–1989]
Senior Urban Policy Staff
President's Commission for a National Agenda for the Eighties, Washington, DC [1980–1981]
President's Commission for a National Agenda for the Eighties, Washington, DC [1980–1981]
Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies and Research
The University of Texas at Dallas [1976–1978]
The University of Texas at Dallas [1976–1978]
Professor of Political Economy and Public Policy
[1975–Present]
[1975–Present]
Teaching Assistant
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC [1973–1975]
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC [1973–1975]
Projects
The Link between Environmental Concerns, Regional Urban Systems, and International Competitiveness,
1995–1995 Urban Land Institute 1995 Spring Meeting, May 10-13, 1995, San Antonio, Texas.Evaluating Time-Based Competition in the U.S. Semiconductor Industry
1994–1994 Fourth Annual Industrial Engineering Research Conference (IERC), May 24-25, Nashville, Tenn.Affordability Concerns in Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing: The Nature of Industrial Linkage
1995–1995 Fourth International Symposium on Semiconductor Manufacturing (ISSM), Sept. 17-19, 1995, Austin, Texas.Chair, Session on Geographical Contexts for Entrepreneurship
1990–1990 North American Regional Science Association Annual Meetings, October, 1990, Boston, MA.Benchmarking Time-Based Competition
1995–1995 (w/ S. Brown) Paper presented at TIMS XXXIII (The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences) International Meeting, June 25-28, Singapore.Additional Information
UNIVERSITY SERVICE
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Doctoral Dissertation Advisor
- CHAIR, Ling-chun Hung, Market Entry and Market Value: Linking Drug Innovation to Financial Performance in the U.S. Biotechnology Industry.
- CHAIR, D. Jeffrey Keyser, U.S. Drug Discovery, Development, and Market Exclusivity, (in progress).
- CHAIR, Larry Chasteen (School of Management), Cluster Formation and Growth Dynamics in a Regional Context (Summer 2003).
- CHAIR, Timothy McDonough, Modeling Broadband Service Deployment Controlling for Spatial Dependencies (Spring 2003).
- CHAIR, Yeonwoo Lee, The Effects of Dynamics Processes on Metro-Scale Productivity, (Spring 2002).
- CO-CHAIR, Thomas Tunstall, Information Technology Outsourcing Determinants and Public Policy, May 2000.
- CHAIR, Vinod Sutaria, The Dynamics of New Firm Formation: The Case of The Texas Manufacturing Sector: 1976-81. (Spring 1999).
- CHAIR, Steven R. Nivin, Regional Innovation Potential: The Case of the Machine Tool Industry, (May 1998).
- CHAIR, Si-gyoung Lee, Regional Income and Employment Effects of Federal Contract Research and Development Funds in U.S. Metropolitan Areas. (May 1991).
- CHAIR, C. Z. Pann, Developmental Features of the U.S. Telecommunications Equipment Industry," (May 1991).
- CHAIR, Harold Gross, Policy Options in Response to the Industrial Life Cycle: The Texas Gulf Coast Rice Farming Industry, (May 1984).
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University Committees [Note: update with green sheets]
- Institutional Review Board, UT-Dallas, 2001- 2003
- University Information Resources Security Committee (1997-98; 1998-99)
- Committee on Distance Learning (1997-98; 1998-99)
- Faculty-Administration Steering Committee of the Cecil and Ida Green Center for the Study of Science and Society, 1997.
- Committee on Qualifications, 1995-97, 1991-93
- Strategic Planning Committee, 1995-96
- University Research Integrity Committee, 1995-Present
- Committee on Intellectual Property, Vice Chair, 1989-92
- Anson Clark Memorial Committee, 1991
- Faculty Standing and Conduct, 1991-92
- Faculty Handbook, 1989-90
- University Library Committee, Chair, 1985-86, 1986-87
- Committee on Planning and Effectiveness, Chair, 1986-87
- Academic Senate, 1986-87, 1985-86, 1981-82
- Academic Council, 1985-86
- Committee on Research, Chair, 1982-83
- Committee on Faculty Standing and Conduct, Chair, 1983-84
- UT-D Organized Research Committee, 1983
- Committee on Educational Policy, 1975-76.
- In addition, I have served as chair and member of numerous dean and faculty search committees, ad hoc review committees, and school committees. Also, I have served as internship advisor for several graduate and undergraduate students.
AWARDS AND HONORS
ProfessionalSenior Research Fellow, IC2 Institute, University of Texas at Austin; appointment Feb. 2000.
Sigma Xi election, 1997
Postdoctoral Fellow, Lincoln Institute for Land Policy, 1982-83
Postdoctoral Fellow, Gerontological Society, Research Program, 1977-78
Travel Award, International Congress of Gerontology, American Executive Committee, IGA, Full Travel Award, Tokyo, Japan, 1978
Listed in several biographical reference collections.
Academic
National Institutes of Mental Health Predoctoral Training Fellowship, University of North Carolina, 1969-70; 1972-75
Phi Beta Kappa, 1969; Graduation with Distinction (College of Arts and Sciences) and Departmental Honors; Woodrow Wilson fellowship (Honorable Mention); Eta Sigma Phi, Phi Eta Sigma and Alpha Lambda Delta and Classics (?) scholastic honoraries; Indiana University Merit Scholarship, 1965-69; Bob Hope Scholarship, 1967-68 and 1968-69, Elvis J. Starr Distinguished Senior Award (Semifinalist); Indiana University, 1969.
COMMUNITY SERVICE AND CONSULTING ACTIVITY
- Invited Advisor/Reviewer, Indicators for the New Economy, Progressive Policy Institute, Washington, D.C., 1998.
- Invited Reviewer for Alan S. Gregerman, Entrepreneurial High-Growth Companies: A Framework for Thinking About the Federal Policy Role, Congressional Research Service, The Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., 1998.
- Infrastructure and Policy Development Task Force, Communications/Information Group, North Texas Commission, 1996-Present.
- A Comment on the Methodology and Conclusions, for Texas Enterprise Zones: Cost Benefit Analysis, State Auditors Office, State of Texas, September 1994.
- Contributed to Job Creation and the 7(a) Guaranteed Loan Program. Report prepared by the Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Small Business Administration, November 1994.
- Contribution to report being prepared on U.S. industrial adjustment by the Energy, Transportation, and Infrastructure Division of the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), U.S. Congress, October 1994.
- PROJECT DIRECTOR, Economic Impacts of the Airport Development Plan: D/FW International Airport; North Texas Commission and KPMG Peat Marwick, Airport Consulting Services, San Francisco, CA, 1988-89.
- PROJECT DIRECTOR/AUTHOR, "D/FW Metroplex Proposal Bid for U.S. Memories, (a proposed U.S. semiconductor consortium), Summer, 1989.
- INVITED SPEAKER, 6th Annual Mid-Cities Business Outlook Conference, Arlington, TX, January, 1989.
- INVITED TESTIMONY, Senate Special Advisory Committee on Bishop College, Dec., 1989.
- MEMBER, Economic Development Committee, Dallas Chamber of Commerce; 1985 - 1987.
- MEMBER, Human Resources Committee, Dallas Chamber of Commerce; 1983-84.
- INVITED SPEAKER, 6th Annual Mid-Cities Business Outlook Conference, Arlington, TX, January, 1989.
- INVITED TESTIMONY, Senate Special Advisory Committee on Bishop College, Dec., 1989.
- MEMBER, Economic Development Committee, Dallas Chamber of Commerce; 1985 - 1987.
- MEMBER, Human Resources Committee, Dallas Chamber of Commerce; 1983-84.