Alex Pham

“My” science has two sides: you either have to work well within what the paradigm expects, or you have to make the paradigm “wow” with something unexpected. These ideas stem from my experiences in the biochemistry lab and the film industry. They may seem unrelated, but together they show me how ideas are created and how novelty is achieved. During my time working in the lab, I saw that people apply the same process to discover new natural compounds. Later, as a content acquisition strategist, I observed that creativity is limited by what audiences accept and prefer. However, both fields strive to move beyond these limits through different paths: new technologies and methods in science, or doing something unfamiliar and educating audiences about new content in entertainment.

My research interests mainly focus on the organizational innovation and evolution. I particularly study how innovation and evolution happen at the firm level and what impacts it can have across the organization, such as changes in power structure and human resources.

I got my MBA from Sungkyunkwan Graduate School of Business and had 5 years of experience in the entertainment industry as a media content distribution and acquisition strategist. Before that, I spent two years in a biochemistry lab during high school for the INTEL International Science and Engineering Fair, where I won second prize at the national level with a potential cancer treatment compound. I decided to leave the field after my doctors advised me — due to a hereditary risk of lung disease — not to work with chemical exposure.

That is why besides journal papers in management, I like to spend time on reading how technology works and other scientific fields updates. I am also a novice songwriter and a fashion enthusiast.