BUSB 4002
Cyrus Dioun studies the relationship between politics, culture, and the emergence and legitimation of new industries. His research covers a number of new and contested industries, ranging from legal cannabis markets to the do-it-yourself maker field. His work has been published in journals, such as Organization Science, Organization Studies, and Socio-Economic Review, and cited by Time Magazine, The Hill, ABC News, and The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Prior to starting at the University of Colorado Denver, Professor Dioun was a Data Science Fellow at the Berkeley Institute for Data Science (BIDS). He has also worked with or consulted for tech startups, business incubators, and real estate developers.
Virtual Office Hours
Cyrus Dioun believes in making knowledge accessible to everyone. As such, he offers weekly virtual office hours open to students and anyone in the community. These informal 15-minute sessions are your opportunity to discuss any topic (though you'll get the most value focusing on subjects he knows something about).
Whether you have questions, seek guidance, or want to explore potential collaborations, you can book time through Calendly.
Schedule Calendly Virtual Office Hours Here
Education
PhD, University of California Berkeley
MA, University of California Berkeley
MA, Columbia University
BA, Pomona College
Areas of expertise
Organization Theory
Nascent Industries
Organizational Stigma
Collective Identity
Publications
Dioun, Cyrus. Vontrese Pamphile, Andreea Gorbatai. 2024. ‘Making it Easy to Do Hard Things’: How experts help novices perceive craft as accessible. Organization Studies.
Gorbatai, Andreea, Cyrus Dioun, Kisha Lashley 2020. Making space for emotions: Empathy, contagion, and legitimacy’s double-edged sword. Organization Science 32(1):42-63.
Dioun, Cyrus. 2018. Negotiating moral boundaries: Social movements and the strategic (re)definition of the medical in cannabis markets. Research in the Sociology of Organizations 56, 53-82.
Dioun, Cyrus. 2017. Making the medical marijuana market. In Matias Dewey and Jens Beckert, eds., The Architecture of Illegal Markets. Oxford, UK. Oxford University Press.
Eaton, Charlie, Jacob Habinek, Adam Goldstein, Cyrus Dioun, Daniela Santibanez Godoy, Robert Osley-Thomas. 2016. The financialization of US higher education. Socio-Economic Review 14(3), 507-535.
Awards
Outstanding International Educator. CU Denver Office of Global Education (2024)
Emerald Literati Award - Outstanding Author Contribution. Emerald Publishing (2019)
In the Media
Flower Follower: How Lessons From the Cannabis Industry Will Impact Colorado’s Budding Psychedelic Scene. Denver Business Journal. April 19, 2024
Colorado Cannabis Companies Take a Page from the Apparel Playbook. Denver Business Journal. March 10, 2022
Events That Foster Positive Emotions Key to Creating a Collective Identity. Neuroscience News. April 5, 2021
Recreational Marijuana Could Be Legal Soon in Michigan. Most Local Officials Oppose It. Battle Creek Enquirer. September 17, 2018
Minorities, Once Wary of Drug Stigma, Now Seek Bigger Cut of Burgeoning Marijuana Industry. ABC News. April 20, 2016
Universities Are Facing a Financial Debt Bomb. TIME, September 14, 2016
Selected Service & Mentorship
Faculty Co-chair, Junior Faculty Mentoring Program (2025)
Mentor, SCORE Small Business Mentoring (2024-present)
Task Force Leader (External Opportunities & Partnerships), CU Denver Sustainable Business Advisory Council (2024-present)
Ethics Fellow, Daniels Fund Ethical Initiative (2021-2024)
Faculty Chair, CU Denver Business School 5-year Strategic Plan (2021-2022)
Mentor, University of Colorado Diverse Doctorates Initiative (2020-2022)
Co-founder of CU Denver Data Science Symposium (2019 & 2020)
Team Mentor, Canopy Boulder Business Accelerator
Program Committee, International Conference for Computational Social Science (2015-2021)
Ad hoc reviewer: Academy of Management Review, Administrative Science Quarterly, American Journal of Sociology, American Sociological Review, British Journal of Sociology, Business & Society, Contemporary Sociology, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Management Studies, Journal of Studies on Alcohol & Drugs, Law & Society Review, Organization Science, Research in the Sociology of Organizations, Socio-Economic Review
