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
Whose Jobs Are at Risk During a Transition to Green Energy?
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To combat the negative effects of climate change, making a transition to green energy is vital. But what will happen to people whose jobs are significantly linked to fossil fuel use? And what policy options are available to mitigate the employment effects of such a transition? That was a question ex...
How Job Tasks Can Contribute to Higher Pay
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New research by MIT Sloan Professor Nathan Wilmers and two coauthors finds that having certain kinds of tasks in a job description allows new employees, including frontline workers, to earn more.
Consumers prefer early entrants in new markets, but 2nd movers can still win
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Consumers approve of firms that do the work to make an industry seem legitimate. Those that free-ride on that “legitimation work” are seen as less authentic.
Oct 25 Papers
Papers for Sessions I, II and III on 10/25/24.
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 ManagementJohan’s research examines the shifting bases of social power and corporate advantage. Recently…
Learn MoreHazhir Rahmandad
Hear name pronounced.Schussel Family Professor of Management Science
Hazhir Rahmandad is the Schussel Family Professor of Management Science and a Professor of System Dynamics at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Hazhir's research shows how complex organizational dynamics can lead to heterogeneity in organizational…
Learn MoreNelson 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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