Professor of Engineering Systems
Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Director, Engineering Systems Division
Director, Center for Transportation and Logistics
Director and Founder, Master of Engineering in Logistics Program

Dr. Yossi Sheffi became Director of MIT's Engineering Systems Division, effective Nov. 15, 2007.

Dr. Sheffi holds a dual appointment at MIT at the Civil and Environmental Engineering and at the Engineering Systems Division. He also serves as Director of the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics. He is an expert in systems optimization, risk analysis and supply chain management, which are the subjects he teaches and researches at MIT. He is the author of dozens of scientific publications and two books: a textbook on transportation networks optimization and the recently published business best-seller The Resilient Enterprise: Overcoming Vulnerability for Competitive Advantage (MIT Press, October 2005). The Resilient Enterprise got rave reviews from dozens of trade publications as well as from the NYT, WSJ, and The Economist. The Financial Times chose it as one of the best business books of 2005. It was also awarded the “2005 Book of the Year” in the category of Business and Economics by Forward Magazine.

Under his leadership, the Center launched many new educational, research, and industry/government outreach programs, leading to substantial growth. He is the director of MIT's Master of Engineering in Logistics (MLOG) degree which he founded and launched in 1998. In 2003 he launched the MIT-Zaragoza program, building a new logistics university in Spain based on a unique international academia, government and industry partnership.

Outside the university Professor Sheffi has consulted with numerous governments and leading manufacturing, retail and transportation enterprises all over the world. He is also an active entrepreneur, having founded five successful companies, and a sought-after speaker in corporate and professional events.

Dr. Sheffi was recognized in numerous ways in academic and industry forums and was on the cover of Purchasing Magazine and Transportation and Distribution Magazine. In 1997 he won the Distinguished Service Award given by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals. In 2002/03 he was on sabbatical in the Judge Institute of Management in Cambridge University, UK. He is also a life fellow of Cambridge University’s Clare Hall College.

He obtained his B.Sc. from the Technion in Israel in 1975, his S.M. from MIT in 1977, and Ph.D. from MIT in 1978. He now resides in Boston, Massachusetts.

Updated September 2007

News and announcements:

Books Published by Yossi Sheffi

Yossi Sheff on CRM Daily.com – Some Viruses Come Pre-Installed (April 1, 2008)

Prof. Sheffi quoted in NY Times, Boston Globe, USA Today: Some viruses come pre-installed (March 14, 2008)

Geeks and Chiefs on iTunesU (September 28, 2007)

Sheffi named director of Engineering Systems Division (September 26, 2007)

Prof. Sheffi receives award from President of Aragon (.wmv) (June 13, 2007)

Prof. Yossi Sheffi's Resilient Enterprise released in Spanish version (June 1, 2007)

Sheffi calls for MIT to educate geeks and chiefs: Stresses urgent need for engineering leaders to address environment, globalization, other complex issues (April 18, 2007)

For Frustrated Riders: Prof. Sheffi Shares Theory Behind MBTA Bus Delay (November 2, 2006)

Leadership + local initiative + volunteers = recovery in New Orleans (September 12, 2006)

Prof. Sheffi shares lessons learned from Katrina and Hezbollah (August 18, 2006)

Prof. Yossi Sheffi on the logistics of evacuating Lebanon (July 31, 2006)

Prof. Sheffi in The Economist (June 16, 2006)

Resilient Enterprise named "Book of the Year" (June 9, 2006)

CTL Director featured in World is Flat (June 9, 2006)

Book TV to Feature Prof. Yossi Sheffi & His New Biz Bestseller (December 6, 2005)

Hurricane Symposium zeroes in on response (features ESD Professors Larson, Oye, and Sheffi. Moderated by Prof. Hastings.) Click here for article and here for online video. (October 9, 2005)

Yossi Sheffi's The Resilient Enterprise Receives Top Ranking (September 15, 2005)

Yossi Sheffi Featured on NPR's "Here and Now" (September 9, 2005)

Yossi Sheffi in Traffic World on Katrina's Impact on Transportation, Shipping (September 9, 2005)

Yossi Sheffi on BBC's The World: Transportation Safety in London (July 23, 2005)

Yossi Sheffi on NPR: Insuring American Businesses Against Terrorism (July 18, 2005)

Yossi Sheffi on NPR: How Resilient is British Public Transportation? (July 8, 2005)

Supply Chain Management under the Threat of International Terrorism by Yossi Sheffi (October 2002)