Current Research

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.

Faculty Research Descriptions

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. Hamsa Balakrishnan, 33-328, x3-6101 hamsa@mit.edu

Algorithms for the scheduling and routing of air traffic, hybrid systems-based techniques for the collection and processing of data (surveillance), and mechanisms for the allocation of airport and airspace resources.

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. Mary (Missy) Cummings, 33-311, x3-4196, missyc@mit.edu

Human supervisory control, human-unmanned vehicle interaction, bounded collaborative human-computer decision making, direct-perception decision support, simulation and evaluation of human interaction in automated systems, and the ethical and social impact of technology.

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

Prof. John Fernandez, 5-418B, x3-5266 fernande@mit.edu

Materials and physical elements and components of the assemblies and systems of buildings. Ecology of contemporary construction (identifying the distinct consumption profile and resource requirement attributes of our existing anthropogenic stock of buildings while formulating design strategies that contribute to reuse and recycling of building materials and components).

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. Marta Gonzalez, 1-153, 617-715-4140, martag@mit.edu

Methods of complex systems with statistical physics approaches, computational sciences, geographic information systems and network theory to characterize and model human dynamics, human mobility patterns using mobile phone communication, propagation of mobile phone viruses and urban transportation models, analysis of networks' organization in relation to their attributes in social systems and spreading dynamics.

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. Ernest Moniz, 1-173, x3-7178, ejmoniz@mit.edu

Energy technology and policy including a leadership role in MIT interdisciplinary technology and policy studies on the future of nuclear power, coal, nuclear fuel cycles, natural gas, and solar energy in a low-carbon world.

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. Noelle Eckley Selin, E40-379, x4-2592, selin@mit.edu

Decision-making strategies on air pollution, climate change, and hazardous substance management, using atmospheric chemistry modeling and other analyses, constraining the biogeochemical cycling of mercury, assessing the health impacts of present and future air pollution, and informing science-policy interactions in hazardous substance management.

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)

Prof. Jessika Trancik, E40-241, 617-715-4552, trancik@mit.edu

Evolution of technologies and on decomposing performance trajectories of energy systems, dynamics and limits of costs and carbon intensities of energy technologies (in order to inform climate change mitigation efforts), nanostructured energy technologies and their potential to reach very low costs and carbon intensities.

Prof. Mort David Webster, E40-408, mort@mit.edu

Environmental and energy systems analysis and decision-making under uncertainty, interface between formal quantitative models and the policy process, addressing the role of learning in the future on today's decisions, the effect of uncertainty on multi-stakeholder negotiations, and better means of communicating results to non-experts.

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. Roy E. Welsch, E53-383, rwelsch@mit.edu

Robust process control and experimental design, credit scoring models and risk assessment, diagnostics for checking model and design assumptions, reliability measurement in electronic commerce, and volatility modeling in financial markets.

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. Sheila Widnall, 33-411, x3-3595, sheila@mit.edu

Space systems, policy, fluid dynamics.

Prof. John Williams, 1-250, x3-7201, jrw@mit.edu

Information Technology, web based education technology, computer simulation, discrete element analysis of granular and powder systems.

Prof. Maria Yang, 3-449B, x4-5592, mcyang@mit.edu

Product design process, particularly in the early phases of the design cycle.