Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
The mission of the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS) is to advance education and research in state-of-the-art, analytical methods in information and decision systems; statistics and data science; and the social sciences, and to apply these methods to address complex societal challenges in a diverse set of areas such as energy systems, finance, healthcare, social networks, and urban science. Its mission also includes the creation of an MIT-wide focal point for advancing research and educational programs related to statistics and data science.
Technology advances in areas such as smart sensors, big data, communications, computing, and social networking are rapidly scaling the size and complexity of interconnected systems and networks and, at the same time, are generating massive data that can lead to new insights and understanding. Research at IDSS will aim to understand and analyze data from across these systems, which present unique and substantial challenges due to scale, complexity, and the difficulties of extracting clear, actionable insights.
Our ability to understand data and develop models across complex, interconnected systems is at the core of our ability to uncover new insights and solutions.
Spanning all five schools at MIT, IDSS embraces the collision and synthesis of ideas and methods from analytical disciplines including statistics, data science, information theory and inference, systems and control theory, optimization, economics, human and social behavior, and network science. These disciplines are relevant both for understanding complex systems and for presenting design principles and architectures that allow for the systems’ quantification and management. IDSS seeks to integrate these areas, fostering new collaborations, introducing new paradigms and abstractions, and utilizing the power of data to address societal challenges.
Undergraduate Study
Minor in Statistics and Data Science
The Minor in Statistics and Data Science provides students with a working knowledge base in statistics, probability, and computation, along with an ability to perform data analysis. For a description of the minor, see Interdisciplinary Programs.
Graduate Study
IDSS provides educational programs anchored in the following intellectual pillars: statistics, information and decision sciences, and human and institutional behavior.
IDSS’s academic programs embrace the collision and synthesis of ideas and methods from analytical disciplines, including statistics, stochastic modeling, information theory and inference, systems and control theory, optimization, economics, human and social behavior, and network science. Each of these fields in isolation is an insufficient basis for a deep understanding of complex interactions and systems. However, the intersections of these disciplines provide new tools and perspectives for understanding complex systems, addressing overarching challenges (including sustainability and systemic risk), and presenting design principles and architectures that enable those systems’ quantification, management, and regulation.
Inquiries about IDSS academic programs may be directed to the Academic Office.
Admission Requirements for Graduate Study
Application forms for all programs are available online. Applicants whose first language is not English must offer evidence of written and oral proficiency in English by registering for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam, academic format, and achieving a score of 7.5 or better. Information about the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) can be obtained through the IDSS website. Applicants should refer to the details of each program concerning specific requirements for admission.
Master of Science in Technology and Policy
The Technology and Policy Program (TPP) educates students seeking leadership roles in the constructive development and use of technology—an area that is not well served by the traditional education of technical or social science specialists. TPP focuses on meeting the need for leaders who are engineers and scientists—people with not only strong technical foundations but also the skills and abilities to deal cogently and effectively with the economic, political, and administrative dimensions of the technological challenges of the 21st century.
The Master of Science in Technology and Policy is an engineering research degree with a focus on the increasingly central role of technology in the framing, formulation, and resolution of policy problems. Many students combine TPP's curriculum with complementary subjects to obtain dual degrees in TPP and either a specialized branch of engineering or an applied social science, such as political science or urban studies and planning.
TPP's coursework provides a solid grounding in technology and policy by combining advanced subjects in the student's chosen technical field with courses in economics, politics, modern quantitative methods, and social science. All students must complete a satisfactory research thesis that has a substantial technology and policy component. In order to prepare students for effective professional practice, TPP stresses leadership and communication. It also encourages students to participate in TPP's summer internship program, which places students in government and industry in the US and around the world.
The TPP curriculum consists of three blocks of subjects and a research thesis. The first block is a required integrative subject in technology and policy and a subject in applied quantitative methods. The second block focuses on training in formal frameworks for policy development and consists of subjects in microeconomics, political economy, and one core restricted elective that treats problems of technology and policy from a domain that is outside that of the students' area of research concentration and deepens the students' understanding of framings and rationales for governance in this area. The third block comprises a minimum of three coherent electives that fulfill professional and research objectives. The research thesis is the culmination of scholarship integrating technology and policy.
Completion of the academic and research requirements of the TPP SM typically takes four terms.
The TPP curriculum normally begins in September; applications are due by December 15. TPP seeks applicants with relevant work or research experience as well as the ability to demonstrate evidence of leadership and initiative in their professional or other activities. All applicants should have a strong basis in engineering or science. For the 2027 admissions cycle, the GRE General Test will be optional.
Contact the TPP program office, Room E17-373, 617-258-7295, for additional information.
The Doctor of Philosophy in Social and Engineering Systems (SES) is focused on addressing concrete and societally significant problems by combining methods from computing, data science and statistics, engineering, and the social sciences. The program includes coursework that prepares students for advanced, rigorous, and original research leading to a doctoral thesis. Both coursework and research must include breadth and depth in engineering and quantitative methods, as well as in the social sciences, and in a particular application or problem domain.
Student research in SES is
- Driven by problems of societal interest, in areas including, but not limited to energy, finance, health care, social networks, urban science, as well as in policy-related topics.
- Involves quantitative methods of computing and information sciences. The program is focused on problems that can be addressed through mathematical modeling and data analysis.
- Relies on real-world data. Research is expected to analyze data from the application domain of interest and draw upon the training provided in statistics, etc., through the program coursework.
- Engages societal aspects of the problem, incorporating theories and tools from the social sciences in the research.
An orientation and core component ensures that all SES students share a common foundation. Students use the core subjects to fulfill part of their Information Systems and Decision Science Focus and Social Science Focus requirements. Additional coursework in those focuses should be at a more advanced level. 6.7700[J] Fundamentals of Probability is typically used to satisfy the Information Systems and Decision Science Focus requirement for a subject with substantial math content. Likewise, the Statistics Core subjects can satisfy the Information Systems and Decision Science Focus requirement for a subject that covers the statistical processing of data. Students are encouraged to satisfy 12 units of the Problem Domain requirement with an internship for academic credit over a summer term (IDS.955 Practical Experience in Data, Systems, and Society). They may also use a subject from their Social Science Focus to satisfy one of the required subjects for the Problem Domain Focus.
Students are not required to repeat substantial, relevant graduate subjects they may have already taken but are encouraged to take more advanced coursework that furthers their preparation. In some cases, especially when no such coursework is available, waivers for some of the requirements may be granted by the graduate program committee. In all cases, however, at least 75 units used to satisfy the coursework portion of the program—IDS.900 Doctoral Seminar in Social and Engineering Systems, the Core, and the focuses in Information Systems and Decision Science Focus, Social Science Focus, and Problem Domain Focus—must be taken while enrolled in SES.
By the end of the second regular term in the program, the student must identify a research advisor and submit the first draft of their program plan to the IDSS Academic Office. Thereafter, the program plan must be regularly updated and available during subsequent academic advising meetings with the academic advisor, research advisor, and IDSS Academic Office. The final program plan must be approved by the academic advisor and research advisor, and submitted to the IDSS Academic Office for approval by the graduate program committee, no later than Registration Day of the student’s penultimate term.
Students qualify as candidates for the doctoral degree in two phases: by passing a written qualifying exam (typically by strong performance in Core subjects or, in special cases, through the cumulative final exam for a Core subject); and by passing an oral qualifying exam. Details on timing, number of attempts, and grade thresholds are available on the program website, but no student is allowed more than two attempts to qualify.
All students must complete a teaching traineeship as well; most do this after the written qualifying exam. This requirement must be met before accepting a teaching assistantship.
Within one year of passing the oral qualifying exam, candidates must form a complete doctoral committee and submit a thesis proposal to the program. The student’s research advisor assigns the final grade for IDS.970 Pre-Thesis Research on the basis of the approved thesis proposal. Thereafter, candidates register for research units using IDS.ThG Graduate Thesis.
Students and candidates must register for a minimum of 6 research units every term. Normal fall and spring term registration is 12–36 research units; normal summer term registration is 24 units. Students are expected to graduate within four-and-a-half to six years. Program durations closer to six years are normal for students building up a publication and teaching portfolio in preparation for an academic job search.
The PhD in SES is a full-time, residential program. Applications are due by December 15; admitted students start the program the following September.
Further information about SES is available on the program website or by contacting the IDSS Academic Office.
Faculty and Teaching Staff
Fotini Christia, PhD
Ford International Professor of the Social Sciences
Professor of Political Science
Director, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Dean Eckles, PhD
William F. Pounds Professor of Management
Professor of Marketing
Associate Director, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Frank R. Field III, PhD
Senior Research Engineer
Lecturer of Data, Systems, and Society
Graduate Officer, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Ankur Moitra, PhD
Norbert Wiener Professor
Professor of Mathematics
Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Associate Director, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
(On leave)
Professors
Alberto Abadie, PhD
Thapanee Sirivadhanabhakdi Techajareonvi Professor
Professor of Economics
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Daron Acemoglu, PhD
Institute Professor
Professor of Economics
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Saurabh Amin, PhD
Edmund K. Turner Professor
Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Sinan Aral, PhD
David Austin Professor in Management
Professor of Information Technology and Marketing
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
(On leave)
Nicholas A. Ashford, JD, PhD
Professor of Technology and Policy
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Hamsa Balakrishnan, PhD
William E. Leonhard (1940) Professor
Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Adam Berinsky, PhD
Mitsui Professor of Political Science
Professor of Political Science
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Robert C. Berwick, PhD
Professor Post-Tenure of Computer Science and Engineering and Computational Linguistics
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Alessandro Bonatti, PhD
John Norris Maguire (1960) Professor
Professor of Applied Economics
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Guy Bresler, PhD
Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Emery N. Brown, MD, PhD
Edward Hood Taplin Professor of Medical Engineering
Warren M. Zapol Professor of Anaesthesia, HMS
Professor of Computational Neuroscience
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Core Faculty, Institute for Medical Engineering and Science
Devin Caughey, PhD
Class of 1949 Professor of Political Science
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Victor V. Chernozhukov, PhD
Ford International Professor
Professor of Economics
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Nazli Choucri, PhD
Professor Post-Tenure of Political Science
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Munther A. Dahleh, PhD
William A. Coolidge Professor
Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Richard de Neufville, PhD
Professor of Data, Systems, and Society
Robert Michael Freund, PhD
Theresa Seley Professor Post-Tenure in Management Science
Professor Post-Tenure of Operations Research
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
David Gamarnik, PhD
Nanyang Technological University Professor
Professor of Operations Research
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Polina Golland, PhD
Sunlin (1966) and Priscilla Chou Professor
Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
(On leave, spring)
Stephen C. Graves, PhD
Abraham J. Siegel Professor Post-Tenure of Management
Professor Post-Tenure of Operations Management and Leaders for Global Operations
Professor Post-Tenure of Mechanical Engineering
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
D. Fox Harrell Jr, PhD
Professor of Digital Media
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Daniel E. Hastings, PhD
Cecil and Ida Green Professor in Education
Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
(On leave)
Anette E. Hosoi, PhD
Pappalardo Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Professor of Mathematics
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Tommi S. Jaakkola, PhD
Thomas M. Siebel Distinguished Professor
Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Ali Jadbabaie, PhD
JR East Professor of Engineering
Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Head, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Patrick Jaillet, PhD
Dugald C. Jackson Professor in Electrical Engineering
Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Sertac Karaman, PhD
Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Christopher Roland Knittel, PhD
George P. Shultz Professor
Professor of Applied Economics
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Associate Dean for Climate and Sustainability, MIT Sloan School of Management
Andrew W. Lo, PhD
Charles E. and Susan T. Harris Professor
Professor of Finance
Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Youssef M. Marzouk, PhD
Breene M. Kerr (1951) Professor
Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Rahul Mazumder, PhD
Nanyang Technological University Professor
Professor of Operations Research
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Alexandre Megretski, PhD
Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Eytan H. Modiano, PhD
Richard Cockburn Maclaurin Professor in Aeronautics and Astronautics
Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Dava Newman, PhD
Apollo Program Professor of Astronautics and Engineering Systems
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Affiliate Faculty, Institute for Medical Engineering and Science
Member, Health Sciences and Technology Faculty
Christine Ortiz, PhD
Morris Cohen (1933) Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Asuman E. Ozdaglar, PhD
MathWorks Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Head, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Professor of Electrical Engineering
Deputy Dean of Academics, MIT Schwarzman College of Computing
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Pablo A. Parrilo, PhD
Joseph F. and Nancy P. Keithley Professor
Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Professor of Mathematics
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Alex Pentland, PhD
Professor Post-Tenure of Media Arts and Sciences
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Jaime Peraire, PhD
H. N. Slater Professor in Aeronautics and Astronautics
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Yury Polyanskiy, PhD
Leverett Howell Cutten ’07 and William King Cutten ’39 Professor
Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
(On leave)
Hazhir Rahmandad, PhD
Schussel Family Professor of Management Science
Professor of System Dynamics
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Alexander Rakhlin, PhD
Richard Larson Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Roberto Rigobon, PhD
Society of Sloan Fellows Professor
Professor of Applied Economics
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Philippe Rigollet, PhD
Cecil and Ida Green Distinguished Professor
Professor of Mathematics
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Deb K. Roy, PhD
Professor of Media Arts and Sciences
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Themistoklis Sapsis, PhD
William I. Koch Professor
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
(On leave)
Lawrence Sass, PhD
Professor of Computation and Design
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Noelle Eckley Selin, PhD
Professor of Data, Systems, and Society
Professor of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences
Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry
Devavrat Shah, PhD
Andrew (1956) and Erna Viterbi Professor
Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Yossi Sheffi, PhD
Elisha Gray II Professor
Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Susan S. Silbey, PhD
Leon and Anne Goldberg Professor of Humanities
Professor of Sociology and Anthropology
Professor of Behavioral and Policy Studies
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Jean-Jacques E. Slotine, PhD
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
John Sterman, PhD
Jay W. Forrester Professor of Management
Professor of System Dynamics
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Charles H. Stewart III, PhD
Kenan Sahin (1963) Distinguished Professor
Professor of Political Science
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Tavneet Suri, PhD
Louis E. Seley Professor in Applied Economics
Professor of Applied Economics
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Jesse Thaler, PhD
William and Emma Rogers Professor of Physics
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Jessika Trancik, PhD
Professor of Data, Systems, and Society
John N. Tsitsiklis, PhD
Clarence J. LeBel Professor Post-Tenure in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Professor Post-Tenure of Electrical Engineering
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Caroline Uhler, PhD
Andrew (1956) and Erna Viterbi Professor
Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Martin J. Wainwright, PhD
Ford Professor of Engineering
Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Professor of Mathematics
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Roy E. Welsch, PhD
Eastman Kodak Leaders for Global Operations Professor Post-Tenure of Management
Professor Post-Tenure of Statistics
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Michael Williams, PhD
Professor of Physics
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Sarah E. Williams, MCP
Norman B. and Muriel Leventhal Professor
Professor of Information Technologies and Urban Planning
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Moe Z. Win, PhD
Robert R. Taylor Professor
Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Gregory W. Wornell, PhD
Sumitomo Electric Industries Professor in Engineering
Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Jinhua Zhao, PhD
Professor of Urban Planning and Transportation
Head, Department of Urban Studies and Planning
Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Associate Professors
Navid Azizan, PhD
Alfred Henry (1929) and Jean Morrison Hayes Career Development Professor
Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
(On leave, spring)
Rahul Bhui, PhD
Sarofim Family Career Development Professor
Associate Professor of Marketing
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Tamara A. Broderick, PhD
Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Luca Carlone, PhD
Associate Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
(On leave)
Naoki Egami, PhD
Associate Professor of Political Science
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
F. Daniel Hidalgo, PhD
Associate Professor of Political Science
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Stefanie Sabrina Jegelka, ScD
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
In Song Kim, PhD
Associate Professor of Political Science
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Richard Nielsen, PhD
Associate Professor of Political Science
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Ramesh Raskar, PhD
Associate Professor of Media Arts and Sciences
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Cathy Wu, PhD
Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Assistant Professors
Crystal Lee, PhD
Assistant Professor of Comparative Media Studies
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Sherrie Wang, PhD
Doherty Chair in Ocean Utilization
Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Research Staff
Senior Research Scientists
Stan N. Finkelstein, MD
Senior Research Scientist of Data, Systems, and Society
Principal Research Scientists
Audun Botterud, PhD
Principal Research Scientist of Data, Systems, and Society
Mardavij Roozbehani, PhD
Principal Research Scientist of Data, Systems, and Society
Kalyan Veeramachaneni, PhD
Principal Research Scientist of Data, Systems, and Society
Professors Emeriti
Richard Charles Larson, PhD
Mitsui Professor Emeritus
Professor Emeritus of Data, Systems, and Society
Daniel Roos, PhD
Professor Emeritus of Data, Systems, and Society
Professor Emeritus of Civil and Environmental Engineering