The Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business mourns the loss of Dr. Marie Thursby, Regents’ Professor Emeritus and a pioneering member of the Strategy and Innovation area. Her passing marks the end of a remarkable career that spanned decades and transformed the landscape of innovation, education, and research.
Dr. Thursby joined Georgia Tech in 2002 as a member of the Strategy faculty, bringing a distinguished record of scholarship and leadership, which she quickly put to work. She held the Hal and John Smith Chair of Entrepreneurship, launched the Roundtable for Engineering Entrepreneurship Research (REER) conference, and served as the founding director of the Technology Innovation: Generating Economic Results (TI:GER) program.
An Innovative Builder
“Marie was instrumental in building one of the top academic groups in the world focused on the economics of innovation,” said Alexander Oettl, professor of Strategy and Innovation. “She was a scholar in the truest sense, always eager to discuss ideas, yet firmly grounded in pragmatic solutions. She had a gift for breaking down silos by convening scientists, engineers, economists, and entrepreneurs to build lasting institutions like the REER conference and TI:GER program. Her greatest legacy, however, lives on in the students she mentored, the collaborators she lifted, and her ideas around university-industry innovation that continue to shape the field to this day."
TI:GER became a pioneering partnership between Georgia Tech and Emory University, setting a national standard for interdisciplinary education. The program brought together Ph.D. students in science and engineering with MBA and JD students to address the complex challenges at the intersection of technology, law, and business. Under her visionary leadership, TI:GER earned widespread recognition and acclaim, both nationally and internationally.
A Generous Mentor
Although her influence reached a global scale, Dr. Thursby’s work remained deeply personal. She had an extraordinary gift for bringing people together to create meaningful collaborations, leaving a lasting impression on colleagues and students alike. Through mentoring scores of graduate students at Georgia Tech and Emory University, she guided research that bridged disciplines and shaped future leaders.
“Marie crafted and implemented the vision, mission, and values of the TI:GER program,” said Jonathan Giuliano, executive director and academic director of TI:GER. “Since Marie founded the program 23 years ago, TI:GER has educated 790 students across MBA, Ph.D., and JD programs. This term, 62 students from the current cohort will graduate, continuing the program’s legacy of technology innovation impact.”
A Visionary Academic
Dr. Thursby’s influence extended beyond the classroom. Her research on university technology transfer, innovation systems, and multinational R&D decisions shaped policy and practice across academia and industry. She published extensively in top-tier journals including Science, Management Science, and the American Economic Review, and served as an associate editor for Management Science in the Entrepreneurship and Innovation division for over two decades.
“I was fortunate to co-author several academic papers with her, including research based on Georgia Tech incubator firms,” said Frank Rothaermel, Regents’ Professor and Sloan Industry Studies Fellow. “Working with Marie was both a privilege and an education in rigor. She was the only co-author I’ve ever known who insisted on improving a paper even after it had been accepted by a journal. Acceptance alone wasn’t good enough for her; she believed we could make the paper better, and she was right. That dedication to excellence defined everything she did.”
Her legacy is one of visionary thinking, rigorous scholarship, and deep dedication to the transformative power of education. Dr. Thursby leaves behind a lasting imprint on the Scheller College of Business and the global academic community. She will be remembered not only for her intellectual contributions but also for her generosity, mentorship, and unwavering belief in the potential of collaborative innovation.
“Marie’s impact on Georgia Tech and on the broader academic community will endure,” shared Rothaermel. “For those of us who had the privilege to work alongside her, we will honor her legacy by continuing to pursue the vision she set in motion — to bridge research and teaching in strategy, innovation, and entrepreneurship in ways that genuinely make an impact.”
Dr. Thursby is survived by her husband, Dr. Jerry Thursby; her children, Mary and James (Jennifer) Thursby; and grandchildren William, Isabella, and Adriana.