Hesam Panahi is a Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship at Rice University's Jones Graduate School of Business and the Director of Strategic Initiatives and Programs at the Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. In these roles, Hesam works with faculty, staff, and students to design, launch, and iterate curricular offerings in entrepreneurship and innovation for students across campus. Prior to Rice, Panahi was a clinical assistant professor at University of Houston's Bauer College of Business, where he taught courses in management information systems, computer science, industrial design, and entrepreneurship. While at the University of Houston, Hesam also founded RED Labs, the University of Houston's startup accelerator and technology entrepreneurship program. He holds a Ph.D. and Bachelors of Business Administration in Management Information Systems from the University of Houston.