Tom Edwards is Chair of the Engineering, Technology, and Management Department in Temple University’s College of Engineering, where he teaches at the intersection of technology, innovation, and business. He has developed and delivered courses in engineering
entrepreneurship, new product development, and management fundamentals, and has taught Engineering Entrepreneurship (ENGR 3033) numerous times. His prior teaching in Panama at the City of Knowledge gives him firsthand familiarity with the local context, institutions, and innovation ecosystem that shape entrepreneurial activity in the region. 

Before entering academia, Dr. Edwards spent many years in industry driving innovation at the executive level of a NYSE-listed manufacturing company focused on water and air pollution control technologies. He held profit-and-loss responsibility for a strategic business unit and later led efforts to build a company-wide culture of innovation. This experience provides a practical foundation for teaching how organizations scale technical solutions into real infrastructure that serves communities. His doctoral research on corporate venture capital and innovation strategy, service on National Science Foundation review committees for technology and entrepreneurship grants, and consulting work with nonprofit and mission-driven organizations further inform his approach to entrepreneurship education. In Panama, he brings this blend of executive leadership, innovation practice, and teaching experience to help students understand how water infrastructure technologies can move from concept to scalable impact in rural communities.