Edward Timke Ph.D.
Bio
Edward (Ed) Timke is a scholar of disability innovation and entrepreneurship, specializing in how communication and design practices in advertising, marketing, and media advance accessibility and inclusion for people of all abilities. His research takes a comparative, intercultural perspective to examine how entrepreneurs, designers, and organizations in North America and Europe develop inclusive solutions that shape public understanding and drive social change. Pulling from his experience as a public cultural historian, he uses qualitative methods such as oral histories, interviews, ethnographic observations, and archival research to document the contributions of innovators working at the intersection of disability, technology, and the creative industries. His work is engaged with communities and industry and aims to bridge academic research with practical impact.
Before coming to Michigan State University, Dr. Timke held positions at the Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute, Duke University (Cultural Anthropology and Innovation & Entrepreneurship), American University (School of International Service), and the University of California, Berkeley (Media Studies). Since 2016, he has been an editor (currently Co-Editor) of Advertising & Society Quarterly, an academic journal focused on advertising’s relationship to society, culture, history, and the economy.
He works closely with the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and the ANA Educational Foundation in New York to develop educational programs that build bridges between academia and industry. He recently co-spearheaded the creation of SeeHer's open-access certificate on gender and advertising. He has received a National Endowment for the Humanities Digital Humanities Advancement Grant and numerous awards recognizing his excellence in teaching and mentoring. In 2023 and 2024, he served on a committee of disability experts assisting Travel Michigan within the Michigan Economic Development Corporation to select close to $1 million in accessible traveler grants for communities across Michigan.
Timke is currently a co-Faculty Advisor to Tower Guard, one of Michigan State University's oldest honor societies that works with the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD) to support and provide allyship for students with disabilities. He was a Tower Guard member during his undergraduate studies at MSU.
Research and Teaching
- Disability innovation and entrepreneurship in communication, advertising, and design
- Comparative and intercultural perspectives on entrepreneurship and inclusive communication
- Cultural history of advertising and its role in shaping social change
- International and intercultural communication with an emphasis on accessibility and equity
- Public and applied scholarship in communication and entrepreneurship
- Industry- and community-engaged research
- Qualitative research methods: ethnography, oral history, focus groups, textual and visual analysis, and archival research
- Quantitative research methods: statistical analysis and data visualization, particularly as applied to historical and industry data
