Dr. David Obstfeld is an Associate Professor of Management at The CSUF College of Business and Economics. Prior to California State University, Fullerton, he was on the faculty of New York University’s Stern School of Business and the University of California, Irvine’s Merage School of Business. He has taught courses at the undergraduate, graduate and executive level in entrepreneurship, leadership, and strategy.

Professor Obstfeld’s research examines how the knowledge-intensive, network-based social processes that result in organizational change and innovation unfold at the local and firm levels. Currently, his interests focus on how the interaction of social network-based brokerage activity, knowledge articulation, creative projects, and collective action influence entrepreneurship, innovation, and firm strategy. He is completing the data collection for a National Science Foundation grant on brokerage, social networks, and knowledge-based innovation in partnership with Joe Labianca, Steve Borgatti, and Travis Grosser from the University of Kentucky, Gatton College of Business and Economics.

Professor’s Obstfeld has published in such journals as Administrative Science Quarterly, Organization Science, Research in the Sociology of Organizations, and Industrial and Corporate Change. His most recent publications include, “Creative Projects: A Less Routine Approach Toward Getting New Things Done,” published in Organization Science (2012) and “Brokerage as a process: Decoupling third party action from social network structure,” with Steve Borgatti and Jason Davis (forthcoming) in Research in the Sociology of Organizations. His 2005 Administrative Science Quarterly paper, “Social Networks, the Tertius Iungens Orientation, and Involvement in Innovation,” won the 2007 W. Richard Scott Award from the American Sociological Association’s Organizations, Occupations and Work (OOW) division for outstanding contribution to the discipline in an article published within the last three years. Professor Obstfeld recently won the CSUF College of Business & Economics’ 2013 Scholar Award for excellence in scholarly research.

At CSUF, Professor Obstfeld teaches courses in entrepreneurship and strategy. He received his A.B. from the University of Chicago and his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. Prior to embarking on an academic career, he served as Director of Training and Development at The Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae).