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
MIT Sloan announces a new data analytics industry consortium
The consortium expands collaboration between industry and researchers at the MIT Sloan School of Management through the Masters of Business Analytics program.
6 questions to guide your AI strategy
Few AI pilots scale successfully. Asking key questions about goals, governance, and culture can help them thrive.
Why AI-driven enterprises are the future of entrepreneurship
AIDEs have lower overhead, are extremely efficient at product development, require a smaller footprint, and provide increased ownership for founders, according to MIT Sloan’s Paul Cheek.
Africa's Ambitious Machines: Unseen, Undervalued, Undeniable
Are we asking the wrong questions about AI readiness? Osman Siddiqi illustrates how practical, locally built AI across Africa is already redefining the technological frontier in growth markets. Is the global debate on AI readiness asking the wrong questions about growth markets? Osman Siddiqi explor...
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)