Rachel Atkins

Assistant Professor/Faculty Fellow in the Management and Organizations Department at the Stern School of Business NYU

Received a Ph.D. in Public and Urban Policy from The New School, an MPA from NYU, a Master of Government Administration from The University of Pennsylvania, and a B.S., summa cum laude, from West Chester University.

Rachel's research centers on the entrepreneurial activity of blacks in the US. Using economic theory and econometric methods as a foundation, she explores some of the unique dynamics that black entrepreneurs face as a group in the US economy. Her dissertation, “Black Entrepreneurship and the Business Cycle: Firm Entry and Outcomes During Economic Downturn,” examined how black-white disparities in entrepreneurship changed over the last two business cycles and evaluated the role of labor and housing markets in explaining those changes. During this postdoctoral fellowship, Rachel will embark on the next project in her research agenda, which seeks to understand how black firm owners utilize technology and engage in innovative activity.