Professor Michael Gilding

Biography

Adjunct Professor Michael Gilding was the former Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty of Business and Law at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. Prior to that he was President of the Australian Sociological Association (2007-10), a member of the board of the Centre for Social Impact Australia, and a member of the National Education Advisory Committee of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Michael is an economic sociologist, whose current research focuses upon innovation clusters and networks, family business succession and governance, and the social dimensions of economic behaviour. Recent publications include articles on the articulation between gambling and drug trafficking (Australian Journal of Criminology), pathways in family business succession (Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice), theories of family structure and change (British Journal of Sociology), and innovation clusters far from the world hubs (Research Policy).

Michael's research has attracted about $4 million in research grants, mostly involving industry partnerships. Industry partners include Boeing (on collaborative networks in design), Pitcher Partners (on family business succession planning), VicPolice (on police relations with ethnic minorities), and AusBiotech (on the partnerships and networks of Australian biotechnology firms).