 Interested in wine-making, he acquired Chamard Vineyards in Nearby Clinton, CT. Rothberg owns a yacht called "Gene Machine," which is equipped with a lab on board.Rothberg was awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation by President Barack Obama in 2016 for his “pioneering inventions and commercialization of next-generation DNA sequencing technologies, making access to genomic information easier, faster and more cost-effective for researchers around the world".Rothberg received the Connecticut Medal of Technology in 2010.