Michael Roach

Associate Professor of Business Administration and Director of Graduate Studies

Contact

4021 Business Instructional Facility

515 Gregory Dr

Champaign, IL 61820

Listings

Educational Background

Ph.D., Business Administration, Strategy, Fuqua School of Business, Duke University, 2007
B.B.A., Summa Cum Laude, Business Administration in Decision Sciences, J. Mack Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University, 2000

Positions Held

Director of Graduate Studies, Business Administration, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2024 to present
Associate Professor, Business Administration, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2022 to present
Visiting Professor of Strategy, Fuqua School of Business, Duke University, 2021-2022
Visiting Professor of Management, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, 2019-2020
Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship, Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics & Management, Cornell University, 2014-2021
Assistant Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship, Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2007-2012

Recent Publications

Roach, M., & Sauermann, H. (2024). Can Technology Startups Hire Talented Early Employees? Ability, Preferences and Employee First Job Choice. Management Science, 70 (6), 3381-4165.
Roach, M., & Skrentny, J. (2021). Rethinking immigration policies for STEM doctorates. Science, 371 (6527), 350-352. link >

Other Publications

Articles

Roach, M., & Skrentny, J. (2019). Big Tech’s Unfair Immigration Advantage. Wall Street Journal. link >
Roach, M., & Skrentny, J. (2019). Why Foreign STEM PhDs are Unlikely to Work for U.S. Technology Startups. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116 (34), 16805-16810. link >
Roach, M., & Sauermann, H. (2017). The Declining Interest in an Academic Career. PLOS ONE. link >
Roach, M. (2017). Encouraging entrepreneurship in university labs: Research activities, research outputs, and early doctorate careers. PLOS ONE, 12 (2). link >
Sauermann, H., & Roach, M. (2016). Why Pursue the Postdoc Path? Science, 352 (6286), 663-664. link >
Roach, M., & Sauermann, H. (2015). Founder or joiner? The role of preferences and context in shaping different entrepreneurial interests. Management Science, 61 (9), 2160-2184. link >
Sauermann, H., & Roach, M. (2014). Not All Scientists Pay to Be Scientists: PhDs’ Preferences for Publishing in Industrial Employment. Research Policy, 43 (1), 32-47. link >
Roach, M., & Cohen, W. (2013). Lens or Prism? Patent Citations as a Measure of Knowledge Flows from Public Research. Management Science, 59 (2), 504-525. link >
Sauermann, H., & Roach, M. (2013). Increasing web survey response rates in innovation research: An experimental study of static and dynamic contact design features. Research Policy, 42 (1), 273-286. link >
Sauermann, H., & Roach, M. (2012). Science PhD career preferences: levels, changes, and advisor encouragement. PLOS ONE, 7 (5). link >
Roach, M., & Sauermann, H. (2010). A taste for science? PhD scientists’ academic orientation and self-selection into research careers in industry. Research Policy, 39 (3), 422-434. link >

Presentations

Roach, M., & Sauermann, H. (2022). Can Early-Stage Startups Hire Talented Scientists and Engineers? Ability, Preferences, and Employee Job Choice. NBER Entrepreneurship Working Group, National Bureau of Economic Research.
Roach, M. (2022). Survey Methods Professional Development Workshop. Academy of Management.

Grants

Gies College Research Grant, Gies College of Business, 2023-2024

Service

Senior Editor, Organization Science, 2023 to present
Committee on Pathways to Doctoral Degrees in Computing, National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, 2023 to present
Editorial Review Board, Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 2015 to present

Research Interests

Michael’s research investigates questions at the intersection of technology entrepreneurship and scientific labor markets, with implications for both academic scholarship and policy. The primary focus of his research examines the early career choices of science and engineering STEM doctorates, especially careers as employees in technology startups and the impact of U.S. immigration policies on foreign-born high-skilled workers. He also investigates the commercialization of university research discoveries through startups, with a focus on the composition of academic founding teams and the impact of university startups on regional economic development.

Michael has published his research in leading management and science journals including Management Science, Research Policy, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and Science. His research has also been featured in leading media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post and Forbes. He was awarded the Kauffman Foundation Junior Faculty Fellowship in Entrepreneurship Research and his research has been funded by grants from the National Science Foundation.

Current Courses

Technology Strategy (BADM 543) Technological change is a fundamental challenge and opportunity for business leaders in the modern economy. This course deals with concepts and analytical frameworks for strategizing and managing in an environment of technological upheaval and constant innovation. Broadly, students are exposed to ideas about how firms create value through new technologies, and how they in turn capture some of that value to make profits. Specific topics include sources and patterns of innovation, business models, first mover advantages, barriers to imitation, technology commercialization modes, network effects and standards competition, creative destruction and technological disruption, alliances and collaboration, and strategic renewal. The course aims to impart the strategic toolkits and skills required to manage dynamic technology-intensive businesses.