Mihkel Mats Tombak

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The University of Tartu has conferred the degree of Honorary Doctor on Professor Mihkel Mats Tombak for his remarkable contribution to shaping a generation of Estonian and University of Tartu economists and to the development of economics.

Mihkel Mats Tombak was born in Toronto on 26 August 1959. He earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Toronto and subsequently completed an MBA at York University. He received his PhD from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1988.

Mihkel Mats Tombak is the Hatch Professor of Technology Management and Strategy at the University of Toronto Mississauga and also serves as Professor at the University of Toronto’s Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation. His academic career has been truly international. In addition to the University of Toronto, he has held faculty positions at INSEAD business school in France, Helsinki School of Economics, and the University of British Columbia and Queen’s University in Canada, and served as a visiting scholar and lecturer at numerous leading academic institutions across Europe, North America, and Asia. He is a member of the Centre for Interuniversity Research and Analysis on Organizations (CIRANO) in Montréal and an Affiliate Professor at the European School of Management and Technology (ESMT) in Berlin.

Professor Tombak is internationally recognised for his research in industrial and innovation economics, competition policy, and technology strategy. His work has been published in leading international journals, including The Economic Journal, Journal of Industrial Economics, International Journal of Industrial Organization, Management Science, and Journal of Economics and Management Strategy. His research has made a lasting contribution to the understanding of innovation incentives, joint ventures, mergers, and competitive dynamics in technology-intensive industries.

In addition to his distinguished research achievements, Professor Tombak has made significant contributions to academic leadership and curriculum development. For example, he was a founding member and the first director of the University of Toronto’s Master of Management of Innovation program. He has played a central part in shaping interdisciplinary education at the intersection of economics, management, and technology. His leadership, teaching, and research have been recognised and honoured by several universities.

Professor Tombak’s expertise is also highly valued beyond academia. He has served as an advisor to numerous public- and private-sector organisations, including government ministries, international institutions, and industry associations, contributing to policy development and strategic decision-making in the fields of innovation and competition.

For many years, Professor Tombak has supported the development of the University of Tartu School of Economics and Business Administration through both intellectual leadership and practical engagement, including involvement in international programmes, summer schools, seminars, and teaching specialised courses. He currently serves as a mentor in the international business accelerator programme, CDL-Estonia.