Gore Lecture Series - Shaping supply systems to meet human needs

Humanitarian actions to save lives, alleviate suffering, and restore livelihoods following crisis depend on supply chains to deliver essential goods. Supply chain disruptions – such as those during the COVID-19 pandemic – demonstrate the complexity of these global systems and the challenge in aligning the activities of organizations and individuals to meet demands. This talk presents research from the MIT Humanitarian Supply Chain Lab to explore how management science can shape complex supply systems to provide life-saving capacity during crisis. Case studies span international aid and domestic emergency management, covering both preparedness and response phases. Examples include health, food, fuel, and housing systems examined through quantitative models and qualitative fieldwork. The talk closes with emerging research that centers the local community role in shaping supply systems and requires that management science engages the broader sciences to better meet human needs.