Lee W. McKnight

Overview

Lee W. McKnight is an Associate Professor in the iSchool (The School of Information Studies), Syracuse University, Faculty Advisor to the Worldwide Innovation Technology and Entrepreneurship Club (WiTec), and an Affiliate of the Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism (INSTC). Lee lectures annually at MIT since 1998. Lee was Principal Investigator of the 2011 Technology Project of Year TACNY Award-winning National Science Foundation Partnerships for Innovation Wireless Grids Innovation Testbed (WiGiT) project 2009-2014. Lee is inventor of edgeware, a new class of software for creating secure ad hoc overlay cloud to edge applications, services, and Things. Lee’s research focuses on blockchain and cloud management of cyber-physically secure dynamic edge services, virtual markets and wireless grids, the global information economy, national and international technology policy, and Internet governance. Lee was previously Research Associate Professor of Computer Science, Associate Professor of International Information and Communication, and Director of the Edward R. Murrow Center at Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University; Principal Research Associate, Lecturer, and Visiting Scholar at MIT; and Founder of the Internet Telephony Consortium (1996), which evolved into the Communications Futures Program,which continues at MIT. Lee is a member of the NIST Federated Cloud Public Working Group and the IEEE P2302 Intercloud standards working group and served on the Enterprise Cloud Leadership Council of TM Forum; as a member of IEEE P2030.4 smart grid interoperability task force. Lee is Founder and was a Member of the Board of Directors of Wireless Grids Corporation, 2004-2014. Lee was a Founding Member, Board of Directors, Summerhill Biomass Systems, 2007-2013. Lee is a Pioneer Member of the Internet Society since 1991. McKnight teaches and created graduate and undergraduate courses on Blockchain Management, Cloud Management, and Cloud Architecture among others. He has taught Information Security Policy (joint with Syracuse Law School/INSCT), Information Policy, and Telecommunications Regulation at Syracuse University. Lee lectures annually in the MIT Professional Education short course, ‘Technology, Organizations, and Innovation: Putting Ideas to Work’ since 1998. Lee’s research interests span policy, economic, business and technical innovation in regional and global information economies. In addition to many peer reviewed articles in technical and policy journals and dozens of published chapters, Lee’s academic work includes several books. Professor McKnight’s next books on his ground-breaking research will be published in 2020 by Imperial College Press/World Scientific Press, Singapore and London. The first book in the World Scientific Press series, ‘Cloud to Edgeware: Wireless Grid Applications, Architecture and Security for the “Internet of Things”‘ is with Tyson T Brooks. Lee’s co-authored (with Peter Cukor) book ‘Knowledge Networks, the Internet, and Development’ was published by MIT Center for E-Business/Nabu Press, 2014 and 2011. McKnight’s co-authored and co-edited books published by MIT Press include Creative Destruction: Business Survival Strategies in the Global Internet Economy;(2001,2002, Japanese translation by Toyo Kezai 2003; Chinese translation by Economic Sciences Press 2007);Internet Telephony;(2001), the award-winning The Gordian Knot:Political Gridlock on the Information Highway (1997,1999) and Internet Economics (MIT Press, 1997, 1998), a path breaking work that was the first to develop metrics for economic analysis of Internet transactions. McKnight was a Postdoctoral Associate, MIT School of Engineering, Center for Technology, Policy, and Industrial Development in 1990, and a consultant to the MIT Media Lab in 1989. Lee received his Ph.D. in 1989 from MIT; M.A. from the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University in 1981; and B.A. magna cum laude from Tufts University in 1978.

Research

Lee’s research interests span policy, economic, business and technical innovation in regional and global information economies. The role of information and communication technology innovation in shaping the global political and market virtual environments is of strong interest. In addition, I am interested in modeling new information systems services and applications and policies such as blockchain/distributed ledger technologies; innovation in cyber-physical security, advanced wireless services including Internet of Things, grids, Internet of things; 5G, nomadicity and mobility; Internet economics and policy; information technology development; national and international technology policy including for cyberlearning.The Open Specification Model for wireless grids in the Internet of Things v0.4 is among many other things, a summation of my research interests. The WiGiT Lab at Syracuse University iSchool led the research across a wide array of fields related to wireless grids, edgeware, mobile clouds, Internet of Things, and virtual markets, with support of the National Science Foundation Partnerships for Innovation Program, the Industrial Innovation Program, and other NSF Division of Engineering programs as well as corporate and community partners, which led to the initial formulations of the model and its experimental service, application, and device implementations, evaluated over time in 9 doctoral theses authored by students at 3 universities, Syracuse, Tufts and MIT. I continue this research in cooperation with WiTec, the Worldwide Innovation Technology and Entrepreneurship Club, which I serve as the students and alumni faculty advisor. In addition to many peer reviewed articles in technical and policy journals and dozens of published chapters, Lee’s academic work includes several books. Professor McKnight’s next 4 books on his ground-breaking research will be published in 2018-2019 by Imperial College Press/World Scientific Press, Singapore and London.; The first book in the World Scientific Press series, ‘Cloud to Edgeware: Wireless Grid Applications, Architecture and Security for the “Internet of Things”‘ is with Tyson T Brooks.; Lee’s co-authored (with Peter Cukor) book ‘Knowledge Networks, the Internet, and Development’ was published by MIT Center for E-Business/Nabu Press, 2014 and 2011. McKnight’s co-authored and co-edited books published by MIT Press include ;Creative Destruction: Business Survival Strategies in the Global Internet Economy;(2001,2002, Japanese translation by Toyo Kezai 2003; Chinese translation by Economic Sciences Press 2007), ;Internet Telephony;(2001), the award-winning ;The Gordian Knot:Political Gridlock on the Information Highway;(1997,1999) and Internet Economics (MIT Press, 1997, 1998), a path breaking work that was the first to develop metrics for economic analysis of Internet transactions.

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Professional

Co-Founder, Advisory Group and Liberia Inter-Agency Task Force; Advisor, Academic Liaison, Hu-manity.co; Member, Imcon International Inc. Board; Member, IEEE P2302 Intercloud Standards Working Group; Member, NIST Federated Cloud Public Working Group;Member, Organizing Committee, Imcon Liberia Foundation; Co-Founder, Advisory Group and Inter-Agency Task Force, Democratic Republic of Congo; Host Committee member, 1st Democratic Republic of Congo Internet Forum; Editorial Advisory Board, Journal of Infopreneurship. Editorial Advisory Board, Journal of Internet Policy Studies. Previous: Editorial Board, INFO. Editorial Board, Brazilian Electronic Journal of Economics. Editorial Board, Journal of Municipal Telecommunications;Co-founding Member, OECD ICCP CSISAC (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Civil Society Information Society Advisory Committee to the OECD Information, Computers, and Communication Policy Committee;Member, Civil Society Internet Governance Caucus (IGC);Member, Enterprise Cloud Leadership Council, TM Forum; Member, IEEE P2030.4 Smart Grid Interoperability Task Force; Pioneer Member, Internet Society; Previous: Co-founder, Caribbean Internet Forum

Teaching

Blockchain Management, Cloud Architecture, Cloud Management are courses originated by Lee McKnight, and currently offered by Syracuse University School of Information Studies.;Information Policy, Information Policy and Decision making, Telecommunications Regulation, and Information Security Policy are courses I have taught and refined. Information Security and Policy is offered join with the College of Law, while students dual majoring in Information Management and Technology and Whitman School of Management fields are the primary enrollees in Telecommunications Regulation and Information Policy and Decision making

Personal

Lee’s 3 children are Phillip, William and Christina McKnight. Interests include innovation, playing soccer, and skiing.