Edward F. Crawley

Edward Crawley is the Ford Professor of Engineering and Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT. His research has focused on the architecture, design, and decision support and optimization in complex technical systems subject to economic and stakeholder constraints. His work ranges from the development of underlying theory to the development of approaches and tool, and includes a fundamental paper on the algebra of systems, the framing of system architecture as a decision graph, and the development of complex stakeholder network models to identify value creation. A particular focus of his work is on the identification of architectures for different missions with common elements. The problems to which he has applied this approach include the design of Moon – Mars Human spaceflight systems, launch to low earth orbit, NASA and NOAA’s earth observing system, and NASA’s Space Communications System.

Crawley's previous roles include serving as the founding president - from 20211 to 2016 - of the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow, a new university focused on science and innovation. He also served as the Director of the Bernard M. Gordon – MIT Engineering Leadership Program, an effort to significantly strengthen the quality of engineering leadership education for competitiveness and innovation. From 2003 to 2006 he served as the Executive Director of the Cambridge – MIT Institute, a joint venture with Cambridge University, funded by the British government and industry, with a mission to understand and generalize how universities act as engines of innovation and economic growth. In this capacity he was in close consultation with the British Government on issues of science and innovation policy. For the previous seven years, he served as the Department Head of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT, leading the strategic realignment of the department.

He received his B.S., M.S., and Sc.D. from MIT.