Renee Rottner

Renee Rottner is an Associate Professor (Teaching) in the Department of Technology Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), and serves as Faculty Diversity Officer. She directs UCSB's Master of Technology Management program. Previously, she was an Assistant Professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business. Her research focuses on innovation dynamics in diverse contexts, including Caltech spinouts, NASA projects, semiconductor startups, and international entrepreneurship in Japan, China, and India. She has also studied micro-financed businesses in India. Rottner holds a PhD in Management from UC Irvine, an MS in Management Science & Engineering from Stanford University, and a BA from Eastern Michigan University.

Rottner’s research has been funded by NASA and has earned best paper awards from prestigious organizations like the Strategic Management Society and INFORMS. She authored a book on NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope and published in journals such as the Academy of Management Journal and Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice. Before academia, she worked as an entrepreneur, aiding engineers and scientists in commercializing ideas across military, R&D, and university settings.

Her current work explores global innovation ecosystems, with a focus on non-U.S. entrepreneurship. She has served on the editorial board of the Strategic Management Journal and contributes to industry partnerships through UCSB’s Technology Management program.