Matt Kammer-Kerwick has been selected as the director of the Bureau of Business Research (BBR) at the IC² Institute effective October 1. Kammer-Kerwick succeeds Bruce Kellison, who has led the BBR since 2016 and will be retiring from the University in January.
“Matt brings research acumen and a strong team player approach to his work,” said IC² Institute Executive Director S. Craig Watkins. “His many collaborations with faculty and visibility across campus makes him an excellent choice to lead BBR into its next chapter. Indeed, Matt’s leadership will be a nice complement to the BBR’s forthcoming historic milestone as it celebrates 100 years of excellence and high impact work.”
Founded in 1926, the Bureau of Business Research is the second-oldest research unit at The University of Texas at Austin and is known for its nonpartisan analysis of economic and social trends. During its first 80+ years, the BBR delivered analysis of the state’s economy and industries to the business community via the newsletter, Texas Business Review. Over the past two decades, the BBR has expanded its focus to include exploration of pressing social, environmental and economic challenges in the state.
Kammer-Kerwick came to the BBR in 2014 and has led a host of initiatives in his role as senior research scientist. Employing mixed-methods approaches and operations research models, Kammer-Kerwick has explored a wide range of subjects – from examining the scope and prevalence of human trafficking in Texas, to assessing community sentiment around economic development, and probing the impacts of social determinants of health on different demographic groups.
“Matt has been an extremely productive researcher and mentor as evidenced by his extensive external funding record, multiple peer-reviewed publications, and supervision of doctoral and master’s students,” said Watkins. “In addition, Matt has played a leading role as researcher and thought leader in our current work related to the responsible development of AI and reducing health disparities.”
Before coming to the BBR, Kammer-Kerwick was a research consultant to industry for over 20 years and was president and founder of Visionary Research, Inc. Kammer-Kerwick holds a Ph.D. in Management Science and Information Systems and a B.S. in Engineering Science from UT.
“It is my great honor and privilege to serve as director of the BBR,” said Kammer-Kerwick. “I look forward to continuing to address large unstructured societal problems toward the goal of broader prosperity for all. I joined the BBR at the IC² Institute because I believe in our institutional mission to change the world and our core purpose to transform lives for the benefit of society. It starts here.”