Now
Research
Three working papers active with PhD students:
- U.S. export controls and venture capital reallocation in China's semiconductor sector — with Yikai Cao, Wanru Deng, and Guankai Zhai. In preparation for Management Science.
- Inflation Reduction Act and cleantech entrepreneurship — with Yikai Cao, Rishee Jain, and Dinesh Moorjani. In preparation for PNAS.
- China's battery subsidies and entry composition — with Guankai Zhai. In preparation for Research Policy.
Also working on a methodological paper on AI-enabled social science research design, presented at the FDS Workshop at Yale (May 2026).
Teaching
Spring quarter wrapping up. Summer focused on:
- Prepping the Stanford BOSP Shenzhen Global Seminar (Faculty Director, August 2026)
- Continuing the ITRI–Stanford Advancing Technology Ventures Program
- Refreshing materials for MS&E 272 (Entrepreneurship Without Borders) with Vimbayi Kajese for Fall
Speaking & convenings
On the calendar:
- Guanghua School of Management, Peking University — invited seminar, September 15, 2026
- INFORMS Annual Meeting, San Francisco — session organizer, November 1–4, 2026
- Ross School of Business, University of Michigan — invited seminar, November 20, 2026
Advising
Actively advising two current PhD students (Yikai Cao and Xilan Zhang) and welcoming an incoming postdoctoral researcher (Tess Lallemant, Fall 2026, King Center sponsored). One recent graduate (Wajeeha Ahmad) heading to Columbia Business School as an incoming assistant professor.
Writing
Drafting essays on the Substack at ceesley.substack.com. Recent threads: the algorithmic financing of misinformation, what universities actually contribute to entrepreneurship, and reflections on Ed Roberts and the academic lineage I inherited through him.
Reading
Currently on the desk:
- Chip Champion (Owen Hung-Wen Lin) — complement to Chris Miller's Chip War on the firm-level view of TSMC and Taiwan.
- Breakneck (Dan Wang) — how China actually builds, alongside our battery-subsidies work.
- Celebrating Entrepreneurship (Edward B. Roberts) — Ed's career retrospective on the MIT Entrepreneurship Center he founded.
Board & advisory
Continuing as Independent Non-Executive Director and Remuneration Committee chair at Vobile Group (HKEX: 3738), advisor/investor at TSVC, Vectors Capital, and Empo Health, and Venture Partner / LP at Brave Capital. Foundation work with Lijie Zhou at the Zhou & Eesley Family Foundation.