PhD
System Dynamics
MIT Sloan’s System Dynamics PhD group, established by Professor Jay W. Forrester in 1956, equips students with the theoretical, methodological, and philosophical tools to analyze system behaviors across various fields, including management, environmental change, politics, economics, medicine, and engineering. The group integrates organization studies, behavioral decision theory, and engineering to understand and influence dynamic changes over time. Students engage in comprehensive studies of system principles, economic and industrial dynamics, and policy analysis, supplemented by coursework in economics, information systems, statistics, and political science. Faculty members like Hazhir Rahmandad, who explores complex organizational dynamics and public health issues; John Sterman, known for his work on system dynamics modeling and sustainability; and Vicky Chuqiao Yang, who studies collective human behavior and decision-making, provide invaluable guidance and expertise.
Research from System Dynamics Faculty
An Inside Look at the AI Work Revolution
MIT Sloan School of Management experts weighed in on the state of business and the growing importance of artificial intelligence at MIT Sloan Reunion 2026.
MIT Sloan School of Management launches Evening MBA
The program expands the school’s offerings to reach a new audience of working professionals who will earn an MBA from MIT Sloan while remaining in their current jobs.
5 ways to make agentic AI a competitive advantage
Enterprises looking to make the most of agentic AI will have to rethink how work gets done and how teams are organized, without forgetting the human workers who set their companies apart.
Who will own the AI agent economy?
Here’s what businesses need to know as AI agents move from centralized systems toward a decentralized network of trillions of personal and organizational agents.
Select System Dynamics Faculty
Full-Time Faculty
Johan Chu
Hear name pronounced.Sarofim Family Career Development Assistant Professor
Johan Chu is the Sarofim Family Career Development Assistant Professor and an Assistant Professor of System Dynamics at the MIT Sloan School of Management Johan's research examines power. Recently-developed technologies–including generative AI–allow…
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Nelson P. Repenning
School of Management Distinguished Professor of System Dynamics and Organization Studies
Nelson P. Repenning is the Faculty Director of the MIT Leadership Center, and the School of Management Distinguished Professor of System Dynamics and Organization Studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management. His early work focused on understanding…
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Example PhD Thesis Topics
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Jose Lopez (2024)
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James Paine (2023)
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Tianyi Li (2021)
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Tse Yang Lim (2021)
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Jad Sassine (2021)