Steinbach received his Ph.D. from Michigan State University and also holds a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Notre Dame. His research expertise is in strategic management, specifically focusing on the psychological and compensation factors that motivate executive decision-making as well as the social evaluations made by stakeholders in response to those decisions. His research has been published in Strategic Management Journal and the Academy of Management Annals. Steinbach also teaches in the area of strategic management at the undergraduate level.