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Engineering Systems Division: ESD

The faculty and students of the Engineering Systems Division seek to understand, model and predict the behavior of technologically enabled complex systems. Our intellectual foci include system architecture, system properties (e.g., safety, security, flexibility, and sustainability), and the social/political/economic context of engineering systems. ESD currently applies its efforts to six major classes of systems:

    • Air and ground transportations systems
    • Aerospace and mobility production systems
    • Logistic systems
    • Energy systems
    • Space and ground communication systems
    • Information exchange systems (such as the world wide web)

UROP in the Engineering Systems Division offers the opportunity to work directly with faculty and research staff on a broad range of current topics. The principal research interests of the faculty and research staff the Engineering Systems Division are listed below. Students are encouraged to discuss their research ideas and particular objectives with those faculty members whose research interests most nearly match their own. The ESD UROP Coordinator, Prof. Frey, can answer questions on UROP policy. Registration for credits (ESD.UR or ESD.URG) in amounts consistent with the student's interest and participation is encouraged; alternatively, student wages may often be arranged.

Prof. Thomas J. Allen, E52-536, x3-6651, tallen@mit.edu
Organizational psychology, the relationship between organizational structure and behavior, the role of technological gatekeepers in technology transfer, and the influence of architectural layout on communication.

Prof. George E. Apostolakis, 24-221, x2-1570, apostola@mit.edu
Methods for probabilistic risk assessment of complex technological systems; risk management involving several stakeholder groups; decision analysis; human reliability models; organizational factors and safety culture; software dependability; and risk-informed and performance-based regulation.

Prof. Cynthia Barnhart, 1-229, x3-3815 cbarnhart@mit.edu
Mathematical programming models and large-scale optimization approaches for transportation and logistics systems, service network design, and operations planning for scheduled transportation systems

Prof. John S. Carroll, MIT Sloan School, E52-563, x3-2617, jcarroll@mit.edu
Social and organizational psychology in general. Decision making and learning by individuals, teams, and organizations, particularly related to safety issues in high-hazard industries such as nuclear power, aviation, and health care.

Prof. Joel Philip Clark, E40-202, x3-6885, jpclark@mit.edu
Analysis of the markets for minerals and the costs of supplying these markets, studying the dynamic behavior of supply, demand, and prices in specific materials markets.

Prof. Edward F. Crawley, 33-207, x3-7510, crawley@mit.edu
The design of spacecraft and space systems; the development of intelligent structures with embedded actuators, sensors and processors; and the architecture of large engineering systems

Prof. Richard DeNeufville, E40-245, x3-7694, ardent@mit.edu
Dynamic strategic planning; technology policy; airport planning; systems analysis; and real options.

Prof. Olivier L. de Weck, 33-406, x3-0255, deweck@mit.edu
Integrated modeling and simulation, multidisciplinary design optimization and system architecture.

Prof. Thomas W. Eagar, 4-136, x3-3229, tweagar@mit.edu
Welding and joining, product design and development

Prof. Steven D. Eppinger, E40-439, x3-0468, eppinger@mit.edu
Product design and development, organizing complex design processes in order to accelerate industrial practices

Dr. Frank R. Field, III, E40-202, x3-2146, furd@mit.edu
Materials systems analysis, economics, operations research

Prof. Daniel Frey, 3-449D, 324-6133, danfrey@mit.edu
Robust design, design of experiments, statistics, manufacturing

Prof. Stephen C. Graves, E53-347, x3-6602, sgraves@mit.edu
Operations research, manufacturing systems, supply chains, and service operations.

Prof. David Edgar Hardt, 35-231, x3-2252, hardt@mit.edu
Control, system dynamics, and manufacturing processes.

Prof. Daniel Hastings, 33-413, x3-0906, hastings@mit.edu
Space systems and space policy, spacecraft-environmental interactions, space propulsion, space systems engineering, and space policy.

Prof. Randolph Kirchain, E40-202, x3-4258, kirchain@mit.edu
Environmental and economic implications of materials selection

Prof. Thomas Anton Kochan, E52-583, x3-6689, tkochan@sloan.mit.edu
Employment relations, human resource management, and the automotive industry.
Prof. Paul A. Lagacé, 33-310, x3-3628, pal@mit.edu
Product and process development, manufacturing issues and systems, engineering systems including managerial aspects, generic issues related to technology and its use.

Prof. Richard Larson, E40-231B, x3-3604, rclarson@mit.edu
Engineering analysis of social systems. Innovative use of Operations Research modeling in a variety of settings. Pandemic influenza. Fairness and accessibility in U.S. Presidential voting. Homeland security. Use of ICT to develop distance learning offerings to under-served learners in developing countries. Social justice in queueing systems.

Prof. Nancy Leveson, 33-313, x8-0505, leveson@mit.edu
Modeling and analysis of safety, system and software requirements specification, safe software design, software fault tolerance, verification and validation of safety, and human-computer interaction

Prof. Seth Lloyd, 3-160, x2-1803, slloyd@mit.edu
Quantum computation, quantum communications, quantum error correction and noise reduction

Prof. Stuart Madnick, E53-321, x3-6671, smadnick@mit.edu
Information integration technologies, semantic connectivity among disparate distributed information systems, database technology, software project management, internet applications, and the strategic use of information technology

Prof. Christopher Magee, E60-275, x2-1077, cmagee@mit.edu
Vehicle design, systems engineering, application of computer-aided engineering and computer-aided design, vehicle crashworthiness, manufacturing-product interface, product development

Prof. David Hunter Marks, E40-455, x3-1992, dhmarks@mit.edu
Large-scale infrastructure system organization and management, large scale environmental and economic impacts thereof

Prof. Dave Mindell, E51-194C, x3-0221, mindell@mit.edu
History of control, computing and information processing, technology and methodology for doing archaeology in the deep sea

Prof. Fred Moavenzadeh, 1-173, x3-7178,moaven@mit.edu
Technological policies for socio-economic development, institutional structures required to develop a viable science and technology infrastructure of newly industrialized nations.

Prof. Joel Moses, NE43-407, x3-8592, moses@mit.edu
Complexity and flexibility of engineering systems, algebraic formula, Knowledge-Based Systems

Prof. Dava Newman, E40-375, x8-8799, newman@mit.edu
Aerospace Biomedical Engineering: Biomechanics and Energetics, Control, and Dynamics; Astronaut Adaptation; Advanced Spacesuit Design; Human Factors; Engineering Systems Flexibility; Space Policy; Engineering Education Curriculum (Design, Multimedia, and IT)

Prof. Deborah Nightingale, 33-312, x3-7339, dnight@mit.edu
Lean enterprise design and transformation, including the integration of processes, information, technology and organizations

Prof. James B. Orlin, E40-147, x3-6606, jorlin@mit.edu
Operations research, applications of network optimization and combinatorial optimization to logistics and vehicle routing

Prof. Daniel Roos, E40-349, x3-1661, roos@mit.edu
Lean manufacturing, analysis of the motor vehicle industry, technology policy and industrial development

Prof. Warren P. Seering, 3-435, x3-8253, seering@mit.edu
Machine dynamics, engineering system design, and product development.

Prof. Devavrat Shah, 32-D670, x3-4570, deverat@mit.edu
Algorithms for large complex networks such as the Internet, wireless sensor networks and the "natural" networks, network information theory, stochastic networks, and random graphs

Prof. Yossi Sheffi, 1-235, x3-5316, sheffi@mit.edu
Supply chain management issues including dynamic pricing, supply contracts, and collaboration systems

Prof. David Simchi-Levi, 1-171, x3-6160, dslevi@mit.edu
Robust and efficient techniques for logistics systems

Prof. David H. Staelin, 26-341, x3-3711, staelin@mit.edu
Remote sensing, estimation

Prof. John. Sterman, E53-351, x3-1951, jsterman@mit.edu
Management flight simulators for education and research, with applications ranging from corporate strategy, supply chains, and process improvement to climate change and environmental sustainability

Prof. Joseph Sussman, 1-163, x3-4430, sussman@mit.edu
Complex, Large-Scale, Interconnected, Sociotechnical Systems (CLIOS) Systems including transportation systems, regional strategic planning, developing countries and intelligent transportation systems (ITS)

Dr. Daniel Whitney, E40-243, x3-6045, whitney@mit.edu
Product development, the use of computers in product design, understanding the role of assembly in the design and manufacturing process, and understanding how companies decide what design and manufacturing skills and facilities are core competencies

Prof. Annalisa L. Weigel, 33-404, alweigel@mit.edu
Space system architecture and design, systems engineering, systems-of-systems analysis, aerospace policy, and finance

Prof. Sheila Widnall, 33-411, x3-3595, sheila@mit.edu
Space systems, policy, fluid dynamics.

Prof. John Williams, 1-250, x3-7201jrw@mit.edu
Information Technology, web based education technology, computer simulation, discrete element analysis of granular and powder systems.
MIT
Massachuesetts Institute of Technology


77 Massachusetts Avenue, Bldg. 7-104, Cambridge, MA 02139
Tel: 617-253-7306, Fax: 617-258-8816

UROP Contacts

UROP Coordinator:

Prof. Daniel D. Frey
3-449D, x4-6133
danfrey@mit.edu

Assistant Coordinator:

Elizabeth Milnes
E40-249, x3-1182
emilnes@mit.edu

UROP Payroll:

Jennifer Kratochwill
E40-253, x3-5758
krat@mit.edu

Division Head:

Prof. Yossi Sheffi
E40-261, x3-5316
sheffi@mit.edu

UROP for Credit:

P/D/F: ESD.UR
Letter Grade: ESD.URG