Supply Chain Dynamics: Managing Complex Systems

Dr. Chris Caplice is the Director of the MITx MicroMasters Program in Supply Chain Management and a Senior Research Scientist at the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics (CTL). With over a decade of teaching experience in logistics and supply chain management at MIT, he oversees research, education, and corporate outreach initiatives at CTL. Under his leadership, the MicroMasters program has attracted over 430,000 students from 196 countries since its launch in 2015, awarding nearly 3,000 credentials.

Yossi Sheffi, born in 1948, serves as the Elisha Gray II Professor of Engineering Systems at MIT and Director of the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics since 1992, holding dual appointments in Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society. After completing his B.Sc. from the Technion in 1975 and his Ph.D. from MIT in 1978, he has dedicated his career to advancing systems optimization, risk analysis, and supply chain management. His impact extends beyond academia through nine influential books, including "The Resilient Enterprise," "The Power of Resilience," and his latest "The Magic Conveyor Belt." As an entrepreneur, he founded five successful companies: LogiCorp (acquired by Ryder), PTCG (acquired by Sabre), e-Chemicals (acquired by AspenTech), Logistics.com (acquired by Manhattan Associates), and Syncra Systems (acquired by Oracle). Under his leadership, MIT CTL has launched groundbreaking initiatives, including the MITx MicroMasters in Supply Chain Management reaching over a million registrants across 196 countries, and the SCALE network of academic centers worldwide. His contributions have earned him numerous accolades, including the Distinguished Service Award from the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, the Aragón International Prize, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Zaragoza.

Bruce Arntzen served as the Executive Director of MIT's Supply Chain Management Program, where he made significant contributions to both education and industry practice. After earning his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from MIT, he built an impressive career spanning academia and industry. His professional journey included founding two supply chain consulting firms, leading industrial engineering at Digital Equipment Corp., consulting at Arthur D. Little, Inc., and working as an economic analyst at The World Bank. At MIT, he oversaw the SCM curriculum, managed student admissions, selected faculty, and guided student job placement while teaching "Global Supply Chain Management" and directing the innovative MIT Hi-Viz Supply Chain project, which developed automated board-ready visualizations of supply chains and risk pathways.

Alexis Bateman has established herself as a prominent figure in supply chain sustainability at MIT's Center for Transportation and Logistics, where she currently serves as Visiting Faculty after her role as Director of MIT Sustainable Supply Chains. Her extensive research focuses on supply chain sustainability through educational initiatives and industrial partnerships, with over fifteen years of experience across public sector, industry, and academic settings. Her academic contributions have gained significant recognition, with her research being featured in prestigious publications including Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, and Sloan Management Review. As a course lead and instructor for the MITx MicroMasters in Supply Chain Management, she has helped shape the education of hundreds of thousands of supply chain professionals worldwide. Before her MIT tenure, she contributed to sustainability projects with various organizations including the City of Santa Ana, the Orange County Transportation Authority, and the Los Angeles River Revitalization Plan. Her work has been instrumental in advancing knowledge and implementation of sustainable practices in global supply chains, particularly in areas such as transparency, environmental sustainability, and corporate greenhouse gas emissions disclosure.