Alex Petersen

Associate Professor Alex Petersen holds a joint appointment in the Management of Complex Systems (MCS) department and the Ernest and Julio Gallo Management of Innovation Sustainability and Technology (MIST) graduate group at the University of California Merced (UCM). He previously served as a tenure-track faculty member at the IMT Institute for Advanced Studies in Lucca, Italy. His research focuses on the evolution of socio-economic systems using methodologies from complex systems, statistical physics, and innovation science. His work has been published in high-impact journals like Science, PNAS, and Nature Communications, and widely covered by media outlets such as the Boston Globe and the Guardian.

Recent developments include launching new undergraduate programs in Management of Innovation, Sustainability & Technology (2025) and Data Science & Analytics (2024). He leads the MCS research group, advising students like Andrea Montaño Ramirez (PhD candidate) and formerly mentoring Felber Arroyave (now at UC Merced). Petersen is an academic editor for PLOS Complex Systems and has been featured in the NYT for UCM's future potential in higher education.

His research spans topics including citation inflation's impact on innovation metrics, pandemic effects on real estate markets, and the structural dynamics of global science collaboration networks. Notable grants include NSF #1738163 for convergence science studies. Teaching responsibilities include courses like MIST 203 (Quantitative Tools for Management) and DSA 002 (Thinking Like a Programmer).

Lab activities include recent farewell to Dr. Felber Arroyave and welcoming Chancellor’s Fellow Andrea Montaño. Ongoing projects explore regional innovation systems, university brand equity in the attention economy, and the socio-technical dimensions of convergence science.