Dr Sami Mahroum is the Founding Director of INSEAD’s Innovation & Policy Initiative (IIPI), an applied research programme with a strong focus on action research and the advancement of practical solutions. His work focuses on various policy-related themes ranging from brain drain and the international mobility of talent to innovation policy, economic diversification, and the geography of start-ups. He is the author of the book "Black Swan Start-Ups: Understanding the Rise of Successful Technology Business in Unlikely Places"(Palgrave Macmillan 2016) and the editor of "Economic Diversification Policies in Natural Resource Rich Economies" (Routledge, 2016). His writings and publications appear in peer-reviewed journals as well as in Harvard Business Review, the Financial Times, Boomberg/BusinessWeek and Project Syndicate.

Sami holds a Doctorate in Business and Social Sciences (Hamburg), MSc. Science & Technology Dynamics (Amsterdam) and a Cand-Mag in Political Science (Oslo).