News

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!

Meet Nisa Gurbuz, one of our newest PhD students! When asked to describe her research, Nisa started, "In a nutshell, my main research areas are government and technology. I’m fascinated by how the public sector uses technology." Read on for more details about Nisa's research, as well as her career background, what brought her to our department, and more. 

Check out our MTM program's December newsletter, which features a spotlight on our new alumni story wall, profiles on some of our former students, a holiday greeting from our wonderful MTM team, and more!  

At these events, we heard from the people who make MTM a cutting-edge program that will equip you to lead in technology-driven businesses. If you’re considering applying or are curious if MTM is a good fit for you, check out this recap of events! If you’ve already applied, these events will help you get to know what awaits you in MTM. Check out the full list of dates and events in this recap. We hope to see you at future events!

Meet Chuck Sheldon, a recipient of a new Endowed Chair! Our department had the recent pleasure of sitting down and chatting with Chuck Sheldon. He and his wife Missy have been donating to UCSB and our New Venture Program for years. Read the following interview to learn more about his background, what brought him to Technology Management, what he’d like to tell burgeoning entrepreneurs, and more!

Meet Naman Raval, one of our MTM students from the Class of 2018! When asked about why he joined our Master's program, Naman said, "Continuous learning has always been a cornerstone of my career. After a decade in the industry, I felt it was time to either take a sabbatical or pursue a higher degree that would allow me to acquire new skills, address any blind spots, and align with my goal of launching a SaaS company." Read more in this article!

Check out our MTM program's November newsletter, which features profiles on some of our former students, a new faculty highlight, an overview of a webinar about alumni experiences, and more!  

Meet Phebe Cornell, of our MTM Class of 2024! When asked about some highlights of taking part in the MTM program, Phebe said, "I'd say the biggest thing for me was the people that were involved in this degree, not only my cohort, which was extremely diverse, I think I was one of the few people who was a first-generation American, so just a huge diversity of thought and I learned so much from my classmates because of that. And then also the professors–not only did they have the academic background, but many of them have the industry background, and they're so approachable that it just made learning so easy."

Are you ready to apply to MTM and want to make your application stand out? MTM Executive Director Erin Nerstad discusses the MTM application components and shares tips for success. Watch the November 2024 webinar replay now to learn more about crafting compelling personal statements, application fee waiver options, deadlines, and more!

The MTM graduate degree program equips you with the skills and experience you need to break into tech and excel in a variety of roles. Hear from several of our many successful MTM alumni who have backgrounds in fields such as English, Spanish, Music, Communication, and Film and Media Studies and who are thriving in technology-driven industries. Learn about their journeys and how people with these academic backgrounds can and do succeed in tech.

It’s an exciting time as the new Class of 2025 begins the MTM Graduate Program, diving deep into topics such as strategy for technology-driven companies and learning to work with intelligent machines with some of the top professors in the field. Technology IS the future of work and we can’t wait to see what the new class of leaders and entrepreneurs can achieve. Welcome, Class of 2025, and enjoy everything the program has to offer!

The tech world is abuzz with news and gossip about OpenAI. On one hand, the exit of top executives continues with the departure of chief technology officer Mira Murati. This follows the high-profile departures of several of the most senior executives, including all the founders except for CEO Sam Altman. Is this a case of rats fleeing a sinking ship (or at least a badly managed one) or is this a normal phase in an entrepreneurial firm that has outgrown the team that founded it? Read more in this article from our own Nelson Phillips.