Alumni Spotlight | Matthew Higgins

professional headshot of matthew higgins wearing glasses and black blazer, black shirt and black tie

For Matthew Higgins 04PhD, the road to an academic career has been paved with purpose. When he arrived at Emory, he was looking for the kind of doctoral experience he had not found in his first program: a close academic community where faculty knew their students and invested in their development. More than 20 years into his own career, Higgins still draws on that experience as he mentors the next generation of scholars. The first PhD student he trained is now a full professor, a full-circle moment that reflects how his legacy continues to grow.

Today, Higgins is a Professor of Management & Earl P. and Ethel B. Koerner Chair of Strategy & Entrepreneurship at Tulane University’s Freeman School of Business, where his research focuses on pharmaceutical innovation. He credits his time at Laney with helping to develop the values that continue to guide his career, including academic freedom, close mentorship, and meaningful engagement in the classroom.

Higgins earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Akron in Ohio. Trained as an EMT, he initially planned to become a surgeon. That plan shifted when he discovered a passion for economics.  After transferring to Emory’s economics PhD program, he immediately felt at home. With small class sizes and a cohort of fewer than 10 students at the time, the program offered an apprenticeship-like experience, with one-on-one mentorship from professors that prepared him well for an academic career.

In addition to his current role at Tulane, Higgins is a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and an Affiliated Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition in Munich, Germany. Outside of academia, Higgins enjoys cooking and traveling with his wife, Lisa.

Higgins encourages Laney students to remember that training matters. “The work ethic and perseverance you develop as you become experts in your field are important,” he says. He also encourages students to take advantage of the experiences and culture available on campus and to explore different perspectives. Recalling experiences such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu's presence on campus and visits to the Carlos Museum, Higgins notes that “At Emory, it’s hard to get lost in the mix, so seize the opportunity to stand out.”