About
Research
Research groups
Research interests
- Sustainable and agile business models
- Healthcare, housing and ageing
Current research
Dr Hillier’s current interest is on developing the sustainable and agile business models required for a world where virtuality, digital hyperconnectivity, and accelerated technical innovation are increasingly embedded alongside physical, regular industries. Particular interest is in healthcare, housing, and aging, especially where data collectives, digital interfaces and open AI can augment market acceptance and high growth. These interests encompass current themes including the metaverse, e-games, the NFT economy, and blockchain-enabled disruptive smart contracts.
Dr Hillier has an extensive research background in life sciences. His research has evolved from bench-based “wet” research in pharmacology and physiology through to clinical studies and more recently in digital health. As a successful academic entrepreneur, he has created, and implemented strategic plans to provide financial return on IP portfolios, created new business processes, developed new revenue-generating activities, designed consulting strategies and acted as strategic adviser, designing programs for organizations including the World Bank. He also sat on the Innovation Advisory Group for the international economic policy organization CARIFORUM, who coordinate policy across 17 Member States of the Caribbean.
In healthcare, Dr Hillier held senior Innovation positions for multibillion dollar US enterprises with responsibility for both P&L and Cost Centres. He developed research, innovation, and commercialization programs, acting as subject matter expert on next generation care delivery, precision medicine, and digital health, building industry and academic collaborations with major corporations including Cisco, GE, and J&J. Previous work was focused on in identifying strategies that allow innovation at pace across diverse, siloed networks, that facilitates working with stakeholders and wider communities to develop new business models and co-design solutions, and to create new products and brand assets in areas like wellness & healthcare and smart communities.
Dr Hillier has successfully supervised nine doctoral and MD post-graduates and has acted as external examiner in the UK, Europe and New Zealand. He would welcome PhD applications from interested students wishing to work on areas that will dramatically disrupt business and society in the coming decades.
Teaching
Exponential Tech in High Growth
High Growth and Policy
State-of-the-Art
Practical Entrepreneurship
From Messaging to Metaverse
Digital Twins
Reverse Innovation and a "Flip the Paradigm" Approach
Healthcare in 3D - From Replacement Parts to Replicants
An Entrepreneurs Journey
From Messaging to Metaverse
Biography
Dr Hillier holds a PhD from the University of Leicester and has previously held two Professorships: In Physiology [Glasgow Caledonian University] and in Innovation and Technology Transfer [University of the West Indies]. He also held a 12 month Visiting Professorship with Integrated DNA Technologies, the world’s largest manufacturer of synthetic DNA in the U.S. In Glasgow, he led a large successful research group launching two spin-out companies: Biopta, a CRO, and Sistemic, a biotech, and won numerous awards incl. a Royal Society of Edinburgh Enterprise Fellowship, two Best Company Awards; and a John Logie Baird Award for Innovation. At the University of the West Indies he managed their IP portfolio, helped redesign their consulting arm, and acted as an advisor to the World Bank on regional technology projects. He also sat on the Innovation Advisory Group for the economic policy organization CARIFORUM, who coordinate policy across 17 Caribbean States.
Following this, Dr Hillier held senior positions in major US healthcare companies. As Senior Director of Business Innovation for GuideWell Inc. (formerly Florida Blue), a $16B healthcare company, he acted as subject matter expert in next generation care delivery, precision medicine, and digital health. He helped design, and run as COO, their award-winning Innovation Center, building industry/academic collaborations (e.g., Cisco, GE, J&J, Harvard) and managed relationships with in the region of 50 startups. Then, as Executive Director of Innovation for a major U.S. hospital system, Dr Hillier built strategies to allow innovation at pace across diverse, siloed campuses, working with clinicians, patients, and the community to build new business models and solutions. In 2021, he was hired as Head of Innovation for a UK private rented sector business developing new business areas around wellness, healthcare, and smart communities.