Peter Rodriguez is dean of the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University. He is also an economist and professor of strategic management and teaches classes on global macroeconomics and economic growth and development. He came to Rice from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business where he was a professor, senior associate dean for MBA Programs and chief diversity officer.

Academics are an intellectually curious breed, but Peter’s goes well beyond his research interests of corruption, globalization, economic development, and social institutions. To start with, he has a self-described tinkerer’s mindset and would’ve been an engineer if he hadn’t been an economist. His fascination with social media is evident in his twitter, Instagram and snapchat accounts. He loves photography, both technically and artistically, and lately, drone photography. He is also a native Texan, hailing from Kilgore. With his family, Peter has enjoyed taking Houston by storm – sports teams, food and culture.

A recipient of numerous teaching awards from Princeton, Texas A&M and the University of Virginia, Peter taught short courses on global economics to the Canadian Heads of Ministries and as part of executive education teaching teams to the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy and to multinationals such as Rolls Royce, Harris Corporation, Lockton and AES. He has developed video and audio courses on globalization and growth for The Great Courses and served on the faculty of Semester at Sea.

Peter holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University and a B.S. in economics from Texas A&M University. He worked for several years as an associate in the Global Energy Group at JP Morgan Chase, here in Houston and in New York.

Peter and his wife Kathleen have three children, Gabriella, Sam and Michael.