Diane A. Isabelle

I obtained a PhD in Management (focus on technology and innovation management) from Carleton University (2008). My doctoral thesis was in the area of international scientific collaborations. I hold an MBA from the University of Manitoba and an Engineering degree from the University of Montreal (École Polytechnique) Canada. My areas of expertise include  national and international initiatives in S&T; design and implementation of research assistance programs for SMEs;  technical and business support to SMEs; strategic planning and foresight; and management of large scale projects and S&T teams.

I am currently an Associate Professor, International Business at Carleton University, Sprott School of Business, teaching international business and international entrepreneurship. I am also the principal of Diane Isabelle & Associates Consultants.

Prior to joining academia in 2011, I was Executive Director to the Vice-President Frontier Science, at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), the Government of Canada’s premier research and technology organization. In this capacity, I contributed to the oversight of a portfolio of seven research institutes located across Canada, working in fields ranging from metrology, nanotechnology, IT, molecular sciences, microstructural sciences, to astronomy and astrophysics. Throughout my career at the NRC, I was fortunate to work in a variety of areas, including foresight, commercialization, strategic planning, international etc.  In particular,  I spent a great deal of my career as an Industrial Technology Advisor with the NRC Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP). I started my career as a project engineer for several multinational firms, including General Electric, Esso and Boeing Aerospace.

I publish in the field of innovation, technological entrepreneurship and international business.

My research focuses broadly on the areas of science, innovation and techno-entrepreneurship within a global context, and is organized around the following four themes: 1) International entrepreneurship & ecosystems, 2) Internationalization (International New Ventures and SMEs), 3) Global collaborative research and Science, Technology and Innovation policy, and 4) Technology-integrated and international experiential learning in higher education.

On the fun side of stuff, I restored an old VW Karmann Ghia 1971, and took up motorcycling a few years ago.  Who knew…. Never say never…. 

Diane