Maria P. Roche

I am an Assistant Professor of Business Administration in the Strategy Unit at Harvard Business School. My research examines how specialized knowledge is commercialized and how micro-geographic environments, such as neighborhoods, buildings, or even office layouts, shape innovation outcomes. My work demonstrates that organizations can achieve outsized innovation and performance gains by strategically designing and leveraging their physical and social environments. 

My work, published at The Review of Economics and Statistics, Management Science, Organization Science, and Research Policy, has been featured in The Economist, The Atlantic, The WSJ, the Handelsblatt, a.o.. I serve on the editorial review boards of Organization Science, the Strategic Management Journal, and Strategy Science. In 2025, I was the recipient of the Wyss Award for Excellence in Mentoring Doctoral Students at HBS.

I received my PhD in Management (Strategy & Innovation) from the Scheller College of Business, Georgia Institute of Technology. I completed my undergraduate studies in International Cultural and Business Studies and my master’s studies in Business Administration at the University of Passau, Germany. Over the past years, I have lived and worked in five countries gathering experience in different industries, including venture capital and film.