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
What 3 new MIT Sloan professors have learned about AI
New faculty members are thinking about how AI can help decision-making, the value of adversarial AI agents, and the skills workers need in the AI era.
The Female Founders of the Class of 2016
Meet three MIT female founders leading mission-driven organizations making a positive impact on the world.
Update on MIT Sloan Management Review
Excerpted from MIT Sloan Management Review Editor in Chief Abbie Lundberg’s letter to subscribers on September 10, 2026, and Dean Rick Locke’s letter to faculty and staff, April 29, 2026.
Why some organizations turn AI experiments into business value while others quietly fail
The biggest obstacle to organization-wide AI innovation is not the technology itself, but whether organizations support the hidden work employees perform to develop AI solutions at scale.
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)