Ryan Spencer Cox (MBA/MSDS ’23) Named Among “Best & Brightest” by Poets & Quants

Ryan Spencer Cox is known as an "energetic learner who is passionate about applying the power of technology to businesses." 

Named to the "Best and Brightest Class of 2023" list by Poets & Quants, Cox is graduating this spring with dual master's degrees in Business Administration from the Darden School of Business and Data Science from the School of Data Science. He earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Duke University and will be joining McKinsey and Company as an Associate in Charlotte, North Carolina, after graduation.

Talking with Poets & Quants, Cox points to Data Science in Business as his favorite class. "Part of me is still a software developer and I loved seeing how cutting-edge data science techniques could be applied to business contexts. Technical decisions have a tremendous impact on business value. This class used numerous competitions to examine these benefits in practice." He also attributes connecting the master's in data science to an MBA as a seminal moment. 

"I think a lot about how my access to technology early in life shaped my entire career trajectory," said Cox. "I would love to develop data science and AI learning material for under-resourced youth to foster that same love of learning. Hopefully, this could build the next generation of tech leaders."

Cox's many contributions during his two years at the University of Virginia earned him top honors both in the classroom and admiration among his peers. According to Darden Professor Michael Schill, "Ryan Cox is quickly recognized by all as the smartest student in the room. But he’s not a show-off kind of smart, rather he is the kind of smart that comes from being deeply interested in and curious about the world around him." 

Cox, a native of Charlottesville, chose the Darden School of Business for the faculty mentorship and collaborative, academic community. "Having the opportunity to build profound relationships with faculty is something I have always valued academically."

Read the full article on Poets & Quants.