Edward Roberts

International Association of Management of Technology (IAMOT) has recognized Ed Roberts, David Sarnoff Professor of the Management of Technology, and Eric von Hippel, Professor of Management of Innovation, as two of the top 50 authors of technology and innovation management over the last 5 years. This exceptional achievement places Roberts and von Hippel within the top 1% of all researchers in the field.

Ed Roberts, together with his wife Nancy, received the 2021 Leaders in Philanthropy Award of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). The award citation honors “their extraordinary charitable giving to numerous organizations in Boston and throughout New England, which has not only greatly impacted their community, but also inspired countless others to give back.”

When presenting the award, David Woodruff, president of the Massachusetts AFP and MIT’s associate vice president and COO for Resource Development, praised Ed and Nancy Roberts for their decades of passionate support of the arts and education in Boston, citing their major gifts to numerous nonprofit organizations, including MIT, Lesley University, and Boston University, as well as the Huntington Theatre Company, SpeakEasy Stage Company, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the music and theatre communities of the White Mountains.  

For 40 years, Nancy Roberts was a professor at Lesley University, where she pioneered the utilization of computers in the classroom, and for 60 years Ed Roberts has been a faculty member at MIT Sloan, with extensive contributions in advanced technology management and entrepreneurship.

The Global Agenda Councils include "the most innovative and relevant leaders to capture the best knowledge on each key issue and integrate it into global collaboration and decision-making processes."

Ed Roberts and Jim Utterback have both been elected Fellows of the Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), which provides an annual international platform for academics, industry professionals, and government representatives to exchange new knowledge in the management of engineering and technology. Roberts and Utterback received two of the 11 PICMET Fellow Awards given this year to recognize outstanding contributions to the development and growth of this discipline.  

The many nominees were evaluated in technology management research, education, and other aspects of technology management leadership by a global panel of judges assessing worldwide impact on technology management and innovation. Roberts and Utterback, who have been MIT faculty members since 1961 and 1979 respectively, were both cited as “influential scholars throughout the world” in these fields.

 

"The Monosson Prize for Entrepreneurship Mentoring recognizes those who support and guid business pioneers who are blazing new pathways in entrepreneurship," and Ed was awarded for his extensive mentoring of aspiring entrepreneurs in the classroom and entrepreneurs active in the business world.

Ed Roberts, founder and chair of the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship, has received the Deshpande Symposium Founders Award, which recognizes an individual with “extraordinary achievements” who is known for leadership activities, service, and/or contributions to advancing the field of entrepreneurship in higher education. The Deshpande Symposium for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Higher Education was co-founded by the Deshpande Foundation and UMass Lowell in 2012 and annually convenes academics, policy planners, and practitioners to discuss best practices in integrating entrepreneurship throughout college and university communities.

This is only the second time the award has been given during the past six years. See this Trust Center article for further details about Roberts’ receiving this honor and a link to the full press release.