John Dobson

John A. Dobson is an Associate Professor at the School of Business at Clark University. His academic focus lies in entrepreneurship education, problem-based learning methodologies, and the institutionalization of information systems in small enterprises. He is the founder of the DYME Institute, dedicated to advancing entrepreneurial skill development globally. Prior to academia, he was a successful entrepreneur, founding a business that connected indigenous producers to global markets.

Dr. Dobson holds a D.B.A. from the University of Manchester (2014), an M.S. in Development Management from the London School of Economics (2007), and a B.A. in Modern Languages from St. Francis Xavier University (1988). His teaching spans multiple countries, including Canada, China, Colombia, France, and Uganda. He annually hosts an international faculty development workshop at Clark University to disseminate the DYME methodology.

His research emphasizes the effectiveness of entrepreneurship education in fostering student entrepreneurial intentions, leveraging problem-based learning and experiential approaches. He has published extensively on topics such as institutional barriers to IT adoption in small enterprises and the role of universities in social entrepreneurship. Current projects include developing online educational resources and a prison entrepreneurship program to support returning citizens.

Awards and grants highlight his work’s impact, including funding from the Mass Urban Agenda for the Liberal Arts for Returning Citizens (LARC) initiative and the City of Worcester’s Entrepreneurship Training program. His grants span urban agriculture, financial empowerment, and global education partnerships.

Dr. Dobson’s advising and grant activities reflect a commitment to actionable outcomes: he collaborates with universities worldwide to strengthen entrepreneurship programs and leads service-learning missions in developing countries. His DYME Institute has become a global platform for innovating entrepreneurship pedagogy.