2026 Best 40-Under-40 Business Professors: Diana Jue-Rajasingh, Jones Graduate School of Business, Rice University

Diana Jue-Rajasingh
Jones Graduate School of Business
Rice University

“As a someone who recently left the military to attend a top-tier MBA program, I can say that veterans tend to gravitate toward service-minded individuals. Professor Diana Jue-Rajasingh embodies that spirit fully. She is a true servant-leader both inside and outside the classroom — personable, thoughtful, sincerely invested in her students’ growth and success, and has a background rooted in serving the underserved through business innovation. What makes her exceptional is not just her knowledge and experience of business strategy, but the way she shows up for her students in the classroom by making the students feel valued by fostering an environment that is welcoming, engaging and grounded in genuine connectedness and care.

Diana always makes time in her busy day of research and classes to chat with me about my life, business and aspirations. Rice is lucky to have her as she herself is the standard of a top-tier MBA faculty member.” – Javarri Beachum 

Diana Jue-Rajasingh, 39, is an assistant professor of strategic management in the Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University. Her work bridges rigorous academic research with real-world implementation, drawing on her experience as a social entrepreneur and informing both scholarship and practice in emerging markets. 

Jue-Rajasingh studies how new ventures and emerging industries become understood by customers, investors, and other stakeholders, with a focus on social innovations in emerging markets. Her research examines how innovations like smoke-reducing cookstoves, water treatment technologies, and biodegradable sanitary products are scaled up in contexts such as East Africa and India. Jue-Rajasingh’s work has been published in leading journals, including Organization Science and the Strategic Management Journal, has been covered by the Wall Street Journal, and has been supported by the Kauffman Foundation, the Strategy Research Foundation, and Responsible Research for Business and Management. She has also been recognized at Rice with the Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor Award. 

Prior to earning her Ph.D. in Business Administration (Strategy) and Sociology from the University of Michigan, Diana co-founded Essmart, a social enterprise focused on promoting life-improving social innovations in rural India. She has been recognized as a Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur, Echoing Green Fellow, Cartier Women’s Initiative Laureate, and Fulbright-Nehru Research Fellow. She received her bachelor’s degrees in economics and urban studies and planning and her master’s degree in city planning (international development) from MIT. 

BACKGROUND 

At current institution since what year? 2023 

Education: SB (Economics), SB (Urban Studies and Planning), MCP (International Development) from MIT; PhD (Business Administration (Strategy) and Sociology) from the University of Michigan 

List of MBA/graduate business courses you currently teach: MGMT 571: Strategy Formulation and Implementation (full-time MBA core class) 

TELL US ABOUT LIFE AS A BUSINESS SCHOOL PROFESSOR 

I knew I wanted to be a business school professor when … I designed and taught my own class for the first time and thought, “Wow, I really enjoy this.” But honestly, I never set out to be a business school professor; my early career was spent as a social entrepreneur in South India, so the path here wasn’t obvious. A business school professor who knew me as an undergraduate has told me he would have bet $5,000 against me ever ending up in a b-school, which makes this recognition especially meaningful. 

What are you currently researching and what is the most significant discovery you’ve made from it? I study how social innovations, such as smoke-reducing cookstoves, biodegradable sanitary napkins, and water-purifying tablets, reach the people they’re intended to benefit in emerging markets. One key insight is that the message of “doing good” can sometimes backfire. Mainstream customers may avoid products associated with marginalized users, and potential partners may hesitate to work with ventures that explicitly prioritize impact over profits. As a result, organizations often need to be more strategic about how they communicate their mission and social impact. 

If I weren’t a business school professor… I would probably be working for an international development organization. My dream job, however, would be as a journalist writing about international social issues at the human level (like Nicholas Kristof) or a writer documenting global change through experiencing life with everyday people (like Peter Hessler). I’ll admit, though, that my research gets me closer to both than I expected. 

What do you think makes you stand out as a professor? Because of my background as a social entrepreneur, I challenge students to think about the role of purpose and values in strategy. In my classes, we examine firms that operate with people and the planet in mind, discussing their trade-offs, opportunities, and constraints. I also run a “strategize your life” session, where students apply strategy frameworks to their own decisions. This helps them internalize how strategists think by applying theory to a context they know best. 

Here’s what I wish someone would’ve told me about being a business school professor: There are far more opportunities to get involved—with students, in practice, and beyond—than I initially expected. I’ve had to learn to be intentional about where I spend my time, and that saying no is necessary to do meaningful work well. Also, comfortable, supportive shoes are a must; I get up to 10,000 steps in a day from teaching back-to-back MBA classes. 

Professor I most admire and why: Jordan Siegel, my doctoral advisor at the University of Michigan, for the trust he placed in me, most notably by encouraging me to publish my second-year paper as a solo author. That confidence pushed me to grow early as a scholar. I also admire Jerry Davis, who served on my dissertation committee, for how he has gone out of his way to support his students, especially when they are struggling. Both have shaped how I approach mentorship. 

What do you enjoy most about teaching business students? They are incredibly smart and engaged, and they’re always building or creating something. I especially enjoy seeing them apply what we discuss in class directly to real problems they’re working on. 

What is most challenging? Because they are so busy, class can sometimes take a backseat to everything else they’re managing. The challenge is creating a classroom experience that feels valuable enough for them to fully engage in despite competing priorities (especially at 8 am). 

When it comes to grading, I think students would describe me as… Somewhat tough but fair 

LIFE OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM 

What are your hobbies? Traveling, exploring a city for hidden gems, solving puzzles of all kinds, cooking for groups of people, and spending time with family and friends. 

How will you spend your summer? Conferences across the U.S., researching from home and in India, and hopefully visiting my family in Los Angeles. 

Favorite place(s) to vacation: People ultimately make a place, so somewhere with my favorite people. 

Favorite book(s): I have pretty eclectic tastes in books: memoirs, non-fiction, generation-spanning novels like The Island of Sea Women, and coming-of-age stories like Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. The Ragamuffin Gospel has been especially meaningful to me in shaping how I think about grace and identity that is not based on performance. 

What is currently your favorite movie and/or show and what is it about the film or program that you enjoy so much? I enjoy character-driven comedies like Parks and Recreation and Community – shows where something meaningful can emerge from everyday situations and relationships among very different people. Also, the occasional K-drama, where a bit of escapism is part of the fun. 

What is your favorite type of music or artist(s) and why? Indie/alt rock (especially in stripped-down forms where the lyrics and melody stand out) for introspection, late 1990s to early 2010s alt/pop rock for nostalgia, and modern worship for meaning beyond myself.  

THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS 

If I had my way, the business school of the future would have much more of this… Less performative ambition and more thoughtful reflection and humility. I’d love for business school to be a place where students have more space to pause, think about what really matters, and better understand themselves – not just hurtle toward the next thing. 

In my opinion, companies and organizations today need to do a better job at… Caring for people, both within the organization and beyond it, even when there isn’t a clear or immediate business case for doing so. 

I’m grateful for… An amazing job, supportive colleagues and institution, and thoughtful students; my husband, who is my rock, and our ever-curious son; the people we’ve gotten to know along this rather circuitous journey; and every single day I’ve been given to do this. 

DON’T MISS: THE ENTIRE 2026 ROSTER OF THE WORLD’S BEST 40-UNDER-40 GRADUATE BUSINESS PROFESSORS 

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