Charles “Chuck” Eesley is Professor of Management Science and Engineering and W. M. Keck Foundation Faculty Scholar at Stanford University. He is Faculty Co-Director of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program and a faculty affiliate at the Stanford Center for AI Safety.

His research examines how institutions, policy environments, education systems and emerging technologies shape entrepreneurship and innovation, with a focus on whether new ventures create durable economic and social impact. His recent work addresses AI-driven platforms, information integrity, venture capital allocation, frontier-market innovation and refugee entrepreneurship.

Eesley works with engineers, policymakers, development organizations and practitioners to translate research into scalable programmes, investment models and policy frameworks. His fieldwork spans Sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia, Latin America and the United States. A former entrepreneur and investor, he advises startups, investors, governments and development institutions on innovation strategy and scaling under uncertainty.

His work has been published in Nature, Strategic Management Journal, Organization Science and other leading outlets. He earned his PhD from MIT Sloan School of Management and a BS in neuroscience from Duke University.