MIT Sloan Alumni Online: Professor Arnold Barnett

Jackie Selby, EMBA '21, hosts a conversation with Professor Arnold Barnett, PhD '73, the George Eastman Professor of Management Science and Professor of Statistics at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Take a deeper look at the unique nature of the U.S. political system, as well as standards – and biases – in polling methodologies: how they not only forecast election outcomes, but also act to shape those outcomes. And, whether reckless or bold, he will make a forecast about the imminent presidential election.

Professor Barnett's research specialty is applied mathematical modeling with a focus on problems of health and safety. Barnett’s early work on homicide was presented to President Gerald Ford at the White House, and his analysis of U.S. casualties in Vietnam was the subject of a column by William F. Buckley.

Barnett has written op-ed pieces for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe, CNN Opinion, the Charlotte Observer, and USA Today. He received the President’s Award and the Expository Writing Award from INFORMS in 1996 and in 2001, and is a Fellow of INFORMS. Cited as “the nation’s leading expert on aviation safety,” Barnett was recognized with the 2002 President’s Citation from the Flight Safety Foundation for “truly outstanding contributions on behalf of safety.” MIT Sloan students have honored him on 14 occasions for outstanding teaching.

Barnett holds a BA in mathematics from Columbia College and a PhD in mathematics from MIT.