Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS)

Ali Jadbabaie is the JR East Professor of Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the associate director of the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS), and the director of one of its parts, the Sociotechnical Systems Research Center. “Our focus is on addressing large societal problems, whether they be power systems and energy systems, or social networks, or...

Tackling society’s big problems with systems theory

Ali Jadbabaie seeks to optimize large-scale systems, from social networks to teams of people or devices.

November 14, 2016

First row (left to right): Matteo Bucci, Tal Cohen, and Ali Jadbabaie. Second row (left to right): Zachary P. Smith, Stefanie Mueller, Adam Belay, David Sontag, and Virginia Vassilevska Williams. Third row (left to right): Max Shulaker, Jennifer Rupp, Ryan Williams, Carmen Guerra-Garcia, and Zachary Hartwig

New engineering faculty for 2016-2017

The School of Engineering welcomes 13 new professors.

October 27, 2016

Why have solar energy costs fallen?

MIT team awarded U.S. Department of Energy grant to investigate cost reductions in solar energy systems.

October 26, 2016

Asu Ozdaglar, the Joseph F. and Nancy P. Keithley Professor of Electrical Engineering

Asu Ozdaglar named associate department head of EECS

Expert in optimization theory to join the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science leadership.

October 25, 2016

Fotini Christia (left), associate professor of political science; and Ali Jadbabaie, the JR East Professor of Engineering.

3Q: Fotini Christia and Ali Jadbabaie on researching the dynamics of sociopolitcal change

MIT faculty discuss how a multidisciplinary, multi-university collaboration helps us understand the mechanics of social and political change.

October 14, 2016

Jessika Trancik, associate professor of energy studies at MIT, will present at the annual Materials Day Symposium.

Batteries power clean energy transformation

Materials Day Symposium will highlight strong potential to cut greenhouse gases with electric cars, solar and wind energy storage.

October 6, 2016

Geoffrey Supran PhD ’16 says “there are a lot of myths floating around about hybrid and electric cars,” for example concerning the manufacture of those vehicles, or their reliance on conventional electricity sources. This often leads people to claim that “they’re no better than your average gasoline vehicle. Our study shows that’s just not true.”

Study: Low-emissions vehicles are less expensive overall

Detailed look at 125 U.S. auto models finds those emitting less carbon are the least expensive to drive.

September 27, 2016

President L. Rafael Reif speaks at the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS) showcase. In his remarks, Reif noted that IDSS is “a unit that can magnify individual talents through collaborations, a unit that aspires to generate groundbreaking ways to understand society’s most difficult problems and lead us to badly-needed solutions.”

How data can help change the world

At IDSS celebration, speakers explore how data can be brought to bear on global challenges.

September 26, 2016

One year on, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society looks ahead

Event and new IDSS projects will provide insights into some of society's most pressing data challenges.

September 19, 2016

Collectively, piston-engine aircraft like this Cirrus SR22 constitute the nation’s largest remaining source of lead emissions.

Unfriendly skies: Piston engine aircraft pose a significant health threat

Study shows long-lasting health, economic impacts of lead emissions from U.S. general aviation flights.

August 26, 2016

Nighttime image of New York City, with the red showing a large population density. “The adoption potential of electric vehicles is remarkably similar across cities, from dense urban areas like New York, to sprawling cities like Houston. This goes against the view that electric vehicles — at least affordable ones, which have limited range — only really work in dense urban centers,” says Jes...

Can today’s EVs make a dent in climate change?

Electric vehicles can meet drivers’ needs enough to replace nearly 90 percent of vehicles now on the road.

August 15, 2016

In an invited report and presentation at the White House ahead of the Paris climate negotiations, Jessika Trancik of the MIT Institute for Data, Systems, and Society described an analysis that she and her colleagues at MIT and Tsinghua University performed, including results that demonstrate a mutually reinforcing cycle between emissions-reduction policies and technology development.

Reducing emissions, improving technology: A mutually reinforcing cycle

An MIT study on the connection between technology development and emissions-reduction policies informs Paris climate negotiations.

August 8, 2016

A new course from MIT Professional Education aims to help professionals translate immense amounts of raw data into actionable insights.

New online course addresses data science challenges

“Data Science: Data to Insights” from IDSS and MIT Professional Education begins Oct. 4.

August 4, 2016

Using data to inform the connections between technology and policy

MIT Institute for Data, Systems, and Society research from the Technology and Policy Program highlights multidisciplinary approaches to data-driven policies.

July 22, 2016

“We don’t necessarily want [air traffic controllers] to spend the bandwidth on processing 40 pieces of information. Instead, we can tell them the three top choices,” says Hamsa Balakrishnan, associate professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT and a member of MIT’s Institute for Data, Systems, and Society.

Ready for takeoff

Hamsa Balakrishnan develops algorithms to reduce airport congestion.

July 15, 2016

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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