Dr. Diane Isabelle's career spans the private, public and academic sectors. She has spent most of her career at the National Research Council (NRC), Canada's premier science and technology organization, in particular with the NRC Industrial Research Assistance Program, supporting Canadian firms with strategic technology and business advice to compete on the global scene. Other roles involved positioning Canada in ‘big science’ in fields ranging from metrology, nanotechnology, emerging technologies and nuclear reactors, to astronomy and astrophysics. Diane has extensive experience in strategic planning and the development and management of complex national and international agreements and collaborative programs. She started her career as a project engineer for several multinational firms including General Electric, Boeing Aerospace and Esso.
After obtaining her PhD, Dr. Isabelle made a career pivot to academia. She is currently an Associate Professor of International Business at Carleton University, teaching international business and international entrepreneurship to undergraduate and MBA students in Canada and abroad. A bilingual interdisciplinary individual, she has taught in a broad range of disciplines: International Business, Entrepreneurship and Marketing. She has designed and taught Sprott entrepreneurship curriculum, using innovative technology-integrated pedagogy.
Professor Isabelle’s work has been published in high-quality peer-reviewed journals. She has also written several edited book chapters, and has presented her research at a number of top international scholarly conferences including the Academy of International Business conferences (AIB), International Society for Professional Innovation and Management (ISPIM), Administrative Sciences Association Canada (ASAC), International Schumpeter Society (ISS), European Group for Organizational Studies (EGOS) and Association of Management of Technology (IAMOT). She has won awards for her research. She is a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of Technoentrepreneurship, Multidisciplinary Business Review, and a reviewer for several others.
Her research, supported by grants, focuses broadly on the areas of technology, innovation and techno-entrepreneurship within a global context. Her current research projects are organized around the following four themes: 1) Impacts of COVID-19 on small businesses, 2) International digital and tech-based firms and entrepreneurship ecosystems, 3) Research projects in sub-Saharan African countries related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and 4) International multi-disciplinary experiential learning in higher education.
Dr. Isabelle is also the principal of Diane Isabelle & Associates Consultants, providing expert advice to Canadian government departments and private sector organizations on matters related to innovation and policy. She is a director on the board of Operation Eyesight Universal, a Canada-based international development agency working to eliminate avoidable blindness and restore eyesight in developing countries. She is also a Visiting Associate Professor, University of Johannesburg, South Africa.
Her eclectic hobbies include motorcycling, antique car restoration, international travel and outdoor sports. She has been playing flute in concert bands forever.
Dr. Isabelle is not currently accepting new MSc or PhD students.
Researchgate website
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1833-1110
