Hazhir Rahmandad

Hazhir Rahmandad is the Schussel Family Professor of Management Science and a Professor of System Dynamics at the MIT Sloan School of Management. He is also affiliated with the System Dynamics Group, Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER), and the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS) at MIT. His research bridges complex organizational dynamics and public health, focusing on how feedback delays and strategic interactions shape long-term outcomes in both domains.

Education: Hazhir earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Sharif University of Technology and a PhD in Management with a concentration in System Dynamics from MIT.

Research Interests: His work explores how organizations learn and adapt over time, particularly in the presence of delayed feedback and competitive pressures. He investigates the origins of persistent heterogeneity in organizational capabilities and performance, using simulation modeling, experiments, and empirical data. A second major stream of his research applies system dynamics to public health challenges, including obesity, depression, and infectious disease epidemics like COVID-19. He also contributes to methodological advancements in dynamic modeling, including parameter estimation and model validation techniques.

Publications: His recent work spans COVID-19 modeling, organizational learning under uncertainty, network effects on diffusion, and economic mobility. Notable articles include studies on the behavioral dynamics of COVID-19 across 92 nations, the impact of employer practices on economic mobility, and how delays in feedback impair strategic learning.

Awards: Hazhir is the recipient of the prestigious Jay Wright Forrester Award, recognizing his significant contributions to the field of system dynamics.

Grants & Funding: His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and various private sector organizations.

Teaching & Executive Education: At MIT Sloan, he teaches introductory and advanced system dynamics courses and leads executive education programs such as Understanding and Solving Complex Business Problems and the Global Executive Academy.