A faculty member in the Naveen Jindal School of Management has been named to Poets&Quants’ 2025 list of Best 40-Under-40 MBA Professors.
Dr. Ignacio Rios Uribe, Sydney Smith Hicks Faculty Fellow and an assistant professor in the Jindal School’s Operations and Supply Chain Management Area, was chosen from more than 1,700 nominees worldwide.
When asked why he believes he was selected for the honor, Rios said it likely came down to one thing: he genuinely cares.
“I put a lot of thought and energy into making my classes accessible and engaging for everyone — regardless of their background or prior experience with the material,” he said. “I want students to feel both challenged and supported. I’m deeply passionate about what I teach, and I think that comes through — not just in the lectures, but in the way I listen, answer questions and adapt when needed. My goal is always to make the learning experience meaningful and even enjoyable.”
As an educator in a highly competitive MBA environment, Rios said he keeps his classrooms rigorous and personally engaging for students.
“I approach this in several ways,” he said. “First, I base all my lectures on real-world cases that allow me to introduce core concepts through relatable and often timely examples. Many of these cases draw from my own research, which enables me to lead deeper discussions and show students the practical value of what we’re learning.”
Rios said the connection between theory and application keeps his classes rigorous but relevant. He also invests time in getting to know his students — learning their names, backgrounds, and areas of expertise — so that he can tailor the material to meet them where they are. Finally, he believes that being thoroughly prepared and knowing the material inside out allows him to answer even the toughest questions in a way that is both accurate and accessible.
“That combination of rigor, clarity and personal connection keeps students engaged and motivated,” he said.
Rios said several experiences during his time at The University of Texas at Dallas have crystallized his identity as a professor, especially one that happened a couple of semesters ago.
“I had a student with ADHD who was incredibly engaged and committed but understandably struggled with focus and processing the material in the traditional way,” he said. “He came to every lecture and every office hour, and his dedication challenged me — in the best way — to rethink how I presented concepts, to find alternative approaches, and to reinforce key ideas in multiple ways. By the end of the course, he wasn’t just keeping up — he was one of the top performers in the class.
Seeing what they were able to achieve together reminded Rios why he teaches: to meet students where they are and help them succeed, no matter the starting point.
Much of Rios’ research has practical relevance. He is particularly excited about seeing the potential impact of findings from two recent papers as they are applied in the real world.
“In the first — “College Application Mistakes and the Design of Information Policies at Scale” — we ran a large-scale field experiment providing college applicants with personalized information about their admission chances,” he said. “We found that this simple intervention significantly improved both short-term outcomes — like admissions — and longer-term ones, such as persistence in college.
In another paper — “Stable Matching with Contingent Priorities” — the research team proposes a new method to increase the number of siblings assigned to the same school in centralized admissions systems.
“Using real-world data, the study shows that our approach could improve the assignments of thousands of students each year,” he said.
“I’d love to see both of these ideas fully integrated into how school choice and college admissions are implemented,” he said. “They’re low-cost, scalable and could make a real difference.”
The Poets&Quants’ Best 40-Under-40 MBA Professors list is now in its 13th year. The publication stated that its goal remains unchanged: To identify and celebrate the most talented young professors currently teaching in MBA programs around the world. To date, the publication has highlighted 520 exceptional MBA professors.
Professors on this year’s list come from 39 different business schools. It includes 16 schools outside of the United States. This year’s honorees also include 14 women.
According to its news release, Poets&Quants received more than 1,700 nominations from students, colleagues, administrators and professors. The editorial staff evaluated each nominee on teaching (70% weight) and research (30% weight).
For the teaching criteria, the editorial staff considered both quality and quantity of nominations received. For research, they looked at the volume of scholarly work and its impact.
Rios said the business school of the future should build on its traditional strengths in working with for-profit firms, while expanding its engagement with nonprofits, public agencies and governments.
“Business faculty are uniquely equipped to address some of society’s most urgent challenges —whether it’s improving access to education, enhancing healthcare delivery or helping communities adapt to climate change—using the tools of analytics, operations, and behavioral science,” he said. “At the Jindal School, I see exciting steps in this direction, and I believe that deepening this mission-driven focus can position us as a model for what next-generation MBA programs should be: engines of both economic and social progress.”
Rios’ recognition by Poets&Quants highlights his — and the Jindal School’s — commitment to teaching excellence, impactful research, and the evolving role of business education in addressing real-world challenges.
Explore how Jindal School faculty like Rios are transforming business education through research, innovation and real-world impact on Inside Jindal.
