Annabelle Gawer

Research Statement

AI generated · Oct 14, 2026

Annabelle Gawer's research centers on the strategic architecture of digital platforms and business ecosystems. Her most-cited work, a theory of ecosystems in the *Strategic Management Journal*, offers a framework for understanding how interdependent organizations co-create value, while her earlier analysis of industry platforms and ecosystem innovation established foundational concepts linking platform design to innovation dynamics. Related work on technological platforms proposes an integrative framework bridging competing scholarly perspectives, and her study of platform boundaries examines how firm scope, platform sides, and digital interfaces interact. Beyond these lead-author contributions, Gawer appears as a middle author on a landscape review of open innovation research spanning multiple levels of analysis, and co-authored a strategic treatment of the business of platforms in the age of digital competition. Her portfolio consists entirely of indexed publications, with no separately listed software, datasets, patents, or grants. Across this body of work, the through-line is a sustained effort to theorize how platform leaders govern ecosystems, set boundaries, and shape innovation in complementary markets.

Most Cited Works

Towards a Theory of Ecosystems

Michael G. Jacobides, Carmelo Cennamo, Annabelle Gawer

Strategic Management Journal2018

3,644Citations

Bridging differing perspectives on technological platforms: Toward an integrative framework

Annabelle Gawer

Research Policy2014

1,853Citations

Digital platforms for development: Foundations and research agenda

Carla Bonina, Kari Koskinen, Ben A. Eaton, Annabelle Gawer

Research Areas

Digital Platforms and EconomicsInnovation and Knowledge ManagementDiverse Legal and Medical StudiesBusiness Strategy and InnovationDigital Economy and Work Transformation

Affiliations & Education

Education

1994–2000
Massachusetts Institute of Technology(US)
PhD in Management of Technological Innovation · Sloan School of Management
1992–1994
Stanford University(US)
MSc Industrial Engineering & Engineering Management · Industrial Engineering

Employment

2016–present· now
University of Surrey

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Sources