Montoya Named College’s Assistant Dean for Research

In this added role, she will strengthen the college’s faculty research infrastructure. This includes helping faculty to identify new funded research opportunities involving companies and funding agencies and new opportunities for collaborative research involving the college’s faculty and colleagues across campus.

In addition to faculty research, Montoya will be developing new opportunities for companies to engage students in business research, including working with students in project-based classes and on an individual basis. This is in keeping with the college’s focus on bringing real-world experience to its students and value to its partner companies.

Montoya also chairs the college’s research committee, and will be working closely with Brian Thomas, the college’s director of research development.

“As the college continues to grow, it is important to provide our faculty administrative support and resources that enable them to further develop their research programs,” said Ira R. Weiss, dean of the college.

“The College of Management has always had a focus on real world impact, in our teaching, research and engagement,” he said. “Expanding our research activities with companies will help to bring new information, tools and practices into the marketplace and will provide current, relevant, real world examples to strengthen our students’ academic experience. Engaging our students in research projects also helps assure that they not only are aware of current business issues but also have practice with the tools and techniques needed to work in today’s dynamic business environment.”

Montoya’s research focus is in the area of product development processes and decision-making, collaboration in virtual teams, and marketing strategy. She has long been an advocate for collaborative research, both across campus and across institutions.

“I have an underlying fascination with research and discovering the causes and explanations of organizational problems. I truly enjoy designing ways to find answers to these problems,” Montoya said. That passion has led her to numerous multidisciplinary projects, ranging from forensic science to serious gaming and use of 3-D virtual worlds for collaboration.

“In my new role, I look forward to connecting the depth of research talent and experience that we have in the College of Management with partners and projects across campus and in the business community,” she said.

At NC State, she and colleagues in the College of Engineering were selected by IBM to start a new focus on Service Science, Management and Engineering (SSME) in 2006, which has since led to concentrations in service management and innovation management for the college’s Jenkins MBA program and research with other companies.

On the college’s faculty since 1995, Montoya teaches in the areas of marketing, innovation and services for the college’s MBA and Executive Programs, and is marketing area coordinator for the college’s Department of Business Management. She will continue her teaching responsibilities.

Montoya earned her Ph.D. in marketing in 1995 and her bachelor’s degree in applied engineering science in 1990, both from Michigan State University.