Dirk Swart

Dirk Swart is a Lecturer in the Engineering Management Program at Cornell University’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. His teaching focuses on leadership skills such as negotiation, emotional intelligence, conflict management, and engineering management decision-making. He holds a BBusSc in Computer Science from the University of Cape Town and an MA from Tuft’s Fletcher School, with a thesis on North-South Trade Agreements supervised by Adil Najam.

• Education: BBusSc (Computer Science), University of Cape Town; MA (Fletcher School, Tufts University)

Swart has over 20 years of experience as a technical entrepreneur, currently serving as CEO of Zynect, an embedded sensor company in Ithaca, NY. He co-founded Zynect in 2010, securing $2.4M in funding and launching over 20 successful products. Prior to this, he was a visiting fellow at the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer Range Future.

His work bridges technical innovation with leadership and policy, reflecting his dual background in computer science and international relations. No notable scientific awards are listed, but his industry contributions and academic teaching highlight his expertise in engineering management and entrepreneurship.