Dr. Maria Roche

Assistant Professor

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Biography

Maria P. Roche is an Assistant Professor in the Strategy Unit at Harvard Business School. She teaches elective courses on Innovating at Scale for MBA students and contributes to executive education programs. Her research focuses on how specialized knowledge is commercialized in micro-geographic environments, examining how characteristics of neighborhoods and office layouts can influence innovation outcomes. Roche's work demonstrates that organizations can achieve significant innovation performance gains by strategically designing and leveraging their physical and social environments. Her research has been published in prominent journals such as Management Science and Organization Science, and it has been featured in media outlets including The Atlantic and The Wall Street Journal. She has received several prestigious awards, including the Wyss Award for Excellence in Mentoring Doctoral Students and the Emerging Scholar Award from the Technology Innovation Management division of the Academy of Management. Roche earned her PhD in Management, focusing on Strategy and Innovation, from the Scheller College of Business at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she was awarded a National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant. Before entering academia, she worked in various sectors including venture capital and film.

Research Interests

Experience

Assistant Professor

— Present

Harvard Business School • Boston, MA

Teaches courses on Innovating at Scale and conducts research on the commercialization of specialized knowledge.

Awards

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Emerging Scholar Award

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Wyss Award for Excellence in Mentoring Doctoral Students

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Outstanding Reviewer Award

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Strategy Science Conference Paper Award

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Grigor McClelland Doctoral Dissertation Award

Requirements for Harvard Business School

Doctorate Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
GMAT
GRE General
TOEFL
Total
Required:100
IELTS
Overall
Required:7.5
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree or equivalent Strong quantitative and analytical background
Application Checklist
  • Online application
  • Transcripts
  • Letters of recommendation
  • Resume/CV
  • Statement of Purpose
  • Writing Sample (Optional/Recommended)
Specialization Notes

The PhD in Business Administration is the primary doctoral degree encompassing various areas of study including Business Economics, Accounting, and Strategy.