Analytics
Alexandre Jacquillat named faculty director of MIT Sloan’s Master of Business Analytics degree program
Building on a decade of leadership in data science and AI, the program connects industry with MIT Sloan research, faculty, and students through a consortium and a hands-on capstone project.
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CAMBRIDGE, Mass., November 6, 2026 — At MIT Sloan School of Management’s recent MIT Business Analytics & AI Summit October 3, founding faculty director of the Master of Business Analytics (MBAn) program and Associate Dean for Business Analyticsannounced thatGeorge Maverick Bunker Associate Professor of Management, has been appointed the new faculty director of the MBAn program.
As faculty director, Jacquillat will guide the next chapter of the MBAn program at a time when organizations across every sector are rapidly adopting artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced decision systems. His research focuses on data-driven decision-making and scalable optimization methods that improve efficiency, equity, and sustainability across industries including transportation, mobility, healthcare, and supply chains.
"The future of analytics belongs to leaders who can combine technical sophistication with sound judgment, creativity, interpersonal relationships, and a deep understanding of organizational challenges," said Jacquillat. "We will continue strengthening connections between analytics, AI, operations, and management, while expanding opportunities for students to engage with industry, address societal challenges, and create meaningful impact through data, analytics, and AI."
Since its launch in 2016, MIT Sloan's 12-month MBAn program has become a force in analytics education, combining rigorous training in data science, machine learning, optimization, statistics, and business decision-making with hands-on industry engagement. Created in collaboration with MIT's Operations Research Center, the program was designed to bridge advanced analytical methods with real-world business impact.
"The Master of Business Analytics program exemplifies MIT Sloan's mission to develop principled, innovative leaders who make a difference in the world," saidJohn C Head III Dean of MIT Sloan. "Dimitris built a truly transformative program and his leadership over the past decade has helped shape the MBAn into one of the world's foremost programs in analytics education. Alex brings exceptional scholarly expertise, a record of innovation in teaching, and a vision for how analytics and AI can address some of society's most pressing challenges.”
Under Bertsimas' leadership, the program established a distinctive model that integrates cutting-edge research, experiential learning, and deep industry collaboration. MBAn students work directly with organizations across technology, healthcare, finance, manufacturing, government, and nonprofit sectors to solve complex business challenges using advanced analytics and AI.
Dimitris Bertsimas, Associate Dean for Business Analytics, has led the MBAn program for the past 10 years since its creation in 2016.
"The Master of Business Analytics is the most significant educational endeavor of my career so far," said Bertsimas during his opening remarks of the 2026 MIT Business Analytics & AI Summit. “We have graduated more than 590 alumni. Ten classes. Of the students we admit, more than 80 percent choose to come. We now receive more than 1,000 applications a year for roughly 80 places. A program that survives its founder is an institution.”
A member of the MIT faculty since 1988, Bertsimas is the Boeing Leaders for Global Operations Professor of Management, Professor of Operations Research, Associate Dean for Online Education and Artificial Intelligence, and Vice Provost for MIT Open Learning. Internationally recognized for his contributions to optimization, machine learning, analytics, and operations research, he has authored more than 200 scientific papers, founded multiple analytics-focused ventures, as well as a program to garner hands-on experience with AI called Universal AI, and he has received numerous honors, including membership in the National Academy of Engineering and the 2025-26 James R. Killian Jr. Faculty Achievement Award, MIT faculty's highest honor.
In addition to being an internationally recognized scholar, Jacquillat has earned numerous awards for both research and teaching, including the 2025 INFORMS Donald P. Gaver, Jr. Early Career Award, the 2023 MIT Jamieson Prize for Excellence in Teaching, and much recognition as a leading academic data leader. He has also collaborated closely with Bertsimas on award-winning research and has worked directly with MBAn students through teaching, advising, and analytics-focused initiatives.
A key strategy for the MBAn program will be the continued growth of the MIT Sloan Data Analytics Consortium, a recently launched initiative that connects industry leaders with MIT research, faculty expertise, and student talent. Consortium members gain opportunities to help shape analytics education, influence capstone projects, participate in advisory activities, and collaborate on emerging applications of AI and data science. Founding members include organizations spanning technology, finance, healthcare, manufacturing, consulting, and other sectors.
The consortium also strengthens one of the MBAn program's defining features: the MIT Sloan Analytics Capstone. Through the seven-month experiential course, teams of MBAn students partner with organizations to address real-world analytics challenges using machine learning, optimization, generative AI, statistical modeling, and data visualization. Since the program's founding, students have completed more than 300 projects across industries ranging from healthcare and biotechnology to financial services, logistics, technology, and government.
The capstone experience allows students to move beyond classroom learning and apply advanced analytical techniques to strategic business questions, while providing partner organizations with innovative, evidence-based solutions. Recent projects have included work with organizations such as Advent International, Comcast, GE Appliances, Pfizer, Tampa General Hospital, and the City of Boston.
As demand for analytical and AI-driven decision-making continues to accelerate across industries, the MBAn program enters its next chapter with a strong foundation, an expanding network of corporate partners, and a renewed commitment to shaping the future of data science, analytics, and management education.
Dimitris Bertsimas is a professor of operations research, the associate dean for business analytics, and vice provost for open learning. His research interests include optimization, machine learning, and applied probability. Alexandre Jacquillat is a professor of management, operations research, and statistics. His research interests include data-driven decision-making, optimization, and machine learning, with applications to transportation, logistics, and social good areas.
About the MIT Sloan School of Management
The MIT Sloan School of Management is where smart, independent leaders come together to solve problems, create new organizations, and improve the world. Learn more at mitsloan.mit.edu.
