Winter Quarter Newsletter 2025: Program Updates

Happy Winter Quarter! Our department is thrilled to be putting together this retrospective on Fall 2025. During the last quarter, our team has grown, with new additions to our faculty, staff, and PhD student rosters. Our programs have been busy: taking the time to honor spectacular students with scholarships, welcome new students and increased interest, and offer workshops, webinars, and other events. Read on to see more details!

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MTM (Master's in Technology Management) Program

In September, MTM welcomed to campus a new cohort of bright and ambitious future technology leaders. MTM students culminated their orientation week activities with a welcome reception and showroom tour hosted by MTM company partner Deckers Brands. In their fall coursework, students learned strategy for technology-driven companies, became skilled in negotiation, and dove into working with AI. A highlight of the quarter’s activities was a visit to Amazon Santa Barbara, where students met with Amazon leadership and team members and enjoyed a site tour. In October, Erin Moore joined MTM as its new Admissions and Student Affairs coordinator. Welcome, Erin! 

In January, our Master’s program just hosted a week of virtual events to provide an inside glimpse into what makes MTM unique, from its cutting-edge curriculum and industry-relevant skills to its vibrant community of students, faculty, staff, and alumni. 

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PhD Program

This Fall, we welcomed two new Ph.D. students, Nisa Gürbüz and Masoom Suchdeo.  We're very excited to have them in our program and look forward to their contributions to the field.

Nisa Gürbüz

Nisa Gürbüz earned her master's degree in Urban and Regional Planning from UCLA as a Fulbright Scholar.  After completing two years of her PhD at USC Public Policy and Management program and achieving candidacy, she transferred to UCSB.  Nisa has a research interest in AI adoption and innovation in public sector organizations.  She previously worked as an IT Project Manager at a software development company.

Masoom Suchdeo

Prior to arriving at UCSB, Masoom was a predoctoral researcher at Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, where he used ethnography and field experimentation to study gender and remote work.  He was a student in the Five-year Integrated Program in Management at Indian Institute of Management, Indore, where he earned his BA and MBA.  He was the cofounder of an edtech platform for freelancers and creatives.  He has also worked in the cloud restaurant and food delivery industry for four years across operations and product management roles.

Masoom is studying interdisciplinary innovation in emergent technologies, identifying mechanisms that lead to scientific and technological breakthroughs. 

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Undergraduate Certificate Program

Innovators Honored: Scholarships Fuel Student Potential

This past quarter, Technology Management honored 15 exceptional students through our Young Innovator, Harold Frank, and John Greathouse scholarships. The Young Innovator Scholarship, generously supported by an alumni entrepreneur, celebrates students from across campus who are pushing the boundaries of innovation – no matter their major. The John Greathouse Scholarship, funded by the Greathouse Family, empowers students pursuing the Technology Management Certificate who demonstrate innovative passion in their respective fields. Meanwhile, the Harold Frank Scholarship continues to support the bright minds of our College of Engineering, recognizing students who are passionate about technology management and entrepreneurship.

Recent Harold Frank Scholar recipient and current Electrical Engineering senior Adailton shared his gratitude in his thank you letter to the Harold Frank Scholar Committee: “Your support has not only lightened my financial burden but has also inspired me to push forward with confidence and determination.” As he prepares to enter graduate school next fall, Adailton reflected on his experience, stating he looks forward to “contributing positively to the engineering field as a proud participant of the TMP Certificate Program.”

These scholarships do more than provide financial support—they're a testament to our department's commitment to nurturing creative thinkers and future leaders who are ready to transform ideas into real-world solutions. From groundbreaking projects to entrepreneurial spirit, these 15 scholars represent the innovative heart of UCSB.

Undergraduate Certificate Alumni Share their Insights at Evening Info Session

On November 13, the Technology Management Department hosted a TM Certificate information session with an alumni panel that bridged academic learning with professional success. Technology Management Professor Mary Tripsas led an engaging session featuring three distinguished TM Certificate graduates who illustrated the program's real-world value. Current TM instructors also attended to chat with the students over free pizza.

Panelists represented diverse technology management paths and participated in an engaging Q&A with current and prospective TM Certificate undergraduates:

• Josh Nelson (MTM Class of ‘25), New Venture Program experience and benefits
• Anya Navar (MTM Class of ‘25), Gaining Confidence through TMP Certificate Courses
• Eric Sutton (TMP Certificate Class of ‘19), Senior Account Executive at AppFolio

Approximately 25 students attended, gaining firsthand perspectives on leveraging the TM Certificate in their professional journeys. The event highlighted the program's enhanced structure and its ability to prepare students for dynamic technology careers.

Professor Tripsas shared the latest program enhancements, underscoring the TM Certificate's ongoing commitment to cutting-edge professional development and impressive instructors from the business field. The evening provided a chance for students to network and understand the benefits of the TM Certificate in connecting academic preparation with professional development.

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New Venture Program

The New Venture Program has kicked off its 2024-25 season with record-setting student interest. There are 350 students on the roster, from which 40 ideas have been pitched and are being developed to vie for entry to the New Venture Competition in Spring.  Fall quarter highlights included our annual Elevator Pitch Night, which more than 40 industry mentors attended in preparation for working with the teams throughout this year's program.  Fall quarter ended with a workshop on market validation, introducing our teams to some of the tools they’ll utilize to determine business viability of their ideas. We are looking forward to another exciting year of student innovation and entrepreneurship.