Dr. Anthony Townsend has been studying the connections between technology, urbanism and innovation for over 15 years. Anthony’s interests span several inter-related topics: mobility and urbanization, innovation systems and innovation strategy, science and technology parks and economic development, and sustainability and telework.

Anthony believes that foresight can play an important role in shaping public policy, and is involved in policy and planning networks throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. He testified at a United States Senate hearing on “Research Parks and Job Creation” on December 9, 2009, and serves as a member of the National Foreign Trade Council’s Global Innovation Forum Brain Trust. He has served on mayoral municipal broadband advisory boards in both New York City and San Francisco.

Before joining IFTF, Anthony enjoyed a brief but productive academic career at New York University, where he directed research sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Homeland Security. He received a Fulbright scholarship in 2004 to study the social impacts of broadband in South Korea. He was one of the original founders of NYCwireless, a pioneer in the municipal wireless movement that promotes the use of public-access Wi-Fi in the development of local communities.

Anthony holds a Ph.D. in urban and regional planning from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a master’s in urban planning from New York University, and a B.A. in urban studies with a minor in physics from Rutgers University.