Ignacio Rios

I am an Associate Professor of Operations Management at the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame, where I joined the faculty in August 2026. I received my Ph.D. in Operations, Information, and Technology and my M.A. in Economics from Stanford University. I also hold degrees in Operations Management and Industrial Engineering from the University of Chile.

My research focuses on behavioral market design, with particular interest in how incentives, information, allocation rules, and user behavior shape outcomes in markets without money. I study the design of large-scale matching markets and the behavioral frictions that arise in practice.

I have played a leading role in the reform of Chile’s school choice and college admissions systems, as well as in the design of other two-sided matching markets. My work combines rigorous mechanism design insights with real-world implementation at scale.

My research and teaching have been recognized with several awards, including the ACM EAAMO 2026 Best Paper Award, the Poets & Quants “40 Under 40 Best Business School Professors” distinction, the IFORS Prize for OR in Development, the Doing Good with Good OR Award, and the BOM Best Paper Award, among others.

You can reach me at irios@nd.edu or ignacio.rios.u@gmail.com.