Prof. Cynthia Barnhart

Professor Barnhart specializes in developing models, optimization methods and decision support systems for large-scale transportation problems. In 1997, she formed the Large-Scale Optimization Group at MIT. It is comprised of graduate students and researchers developing and applying optimization models and algorithms to large-scale problems arising in transportation, telecommunications and other problem domains.

Her teaching and research are in the areas of large-scale optimization and analytics, with a focus on applications in transportation and logistics systems. She has supervised scores of graduate and undergraduate theses across a range of disciplines, and has published widely in the flagship journals of her field.

AS PROVOST : The provost shares responsibility with the president, the chancellor, and the academic deans for the supervision of the educational and research programs of MIT. The provost is the chief academic officer of the Institute with responsibility for budgeting and planning of these programs. The provost is also responsible for advising MIT’s president on policies relating to MIT’s more than 1,000 faculty members and deans working within the Institute’s five schools, college, and approximately 65 research laboratories and centers. The academic offices within the Institute that report directly to the provost include the deans of the schools and college, and the director of the MIT Libraries. The provost also coordinates certain educational activities that do not fall under the jurisdiction of any one school, such as interdepartmental collaboration among faculty from different schools.

In partnership with the executive vice president and treasurer and with the vice president for finance, the provost has responsibility for coordinating the budgeting and capital planning of the Institute, and the development of MIT’s campus, buildings, and facilities. The Provost’s Office is also responsible for MIT’s relationships with industry via the Office of Strategic Alliances and Technology Transfer, which includes the Technology Licensing Office. The Provost’s Office – in partnership with the Offices of the Chancellor and the Executive Vice President and Treasurer – also collaborates on initiatives to respond to operational and budgetary challenges and develop institutional strategic plans, including one for diversity, equity, and inclusion.