Bio
Joël Blit is a senior fellow at CIGI and an expert on the topic of innovation, focusing on Canada as a regional example in the global economy. His areas of interest include intellectual property (IP) rights, closing Canada’s innovation gap, and the link between Canadian immigration and innovation.
Joël is assistant professor of economics at the University of Waterloo, with expertise in the economics of innovation, technology clusters, IP, entrepreneurship, international trade and multinational corporations.
Previously, he was assistant professor of economics and international affairs at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University, Washington, DC. Joël holds a Ph.D. in international economics from the University of Toronto, an M.A. in economics from the University of Western Ontario, an M.B.A. from INSEAD, an M.Sc. in computer engineering from the University of Waterloo and a B.Sc. in engineering science from the University of Toronto.
Joël has extensive experience in the private sector where, as a consultant, he worked in the Canadian, Australian and Asian banking industries, providing high-level strategic advice on various operational, sales and change management projects. He has formulated the strategy for a US$100 million start-up, and has provided expert testimony and advisory services to the online music industry. Joël is also on the advisory board of the Creative Destruction Lab, a pre-eminent Canadian accelerator for high-tech ventures.
Joël is the recipient of numerous awards, research grants and distinctions. His dissertation was a finalist for the global Barry M. Richman Best Dissertation Award in International Business. He has received a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council CGS Doctoral Scholarship, the National Bureau of Economic Research Innovation Policy Research Grant, an Institute of Public Policy Research Grant, two research grants from the Centers for International Business Education and Research, and a CIGI-Institute for New Economic Thinking grant. He is a citizen of Canada, France and Uruguay, and is fluent in English, French and Spanish.