Afreen Siddiqi

Dr. Afreen Siddiqi is a Research Scientist in the Engineering Systems Lab, in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She has an S.B. in Mechanical Engineering, an S.M. in Aeronautics and Astronautics, and a Ph.D. in Aerospace Systems, all from MIT.

Her expertise is in development of systems-theoretic analytical methods and quantitative modeling for technical systems that need to operate and adapt in changing environments. Her work, motivated by challenges of human well-being and nature-society interactions, centers on systems in space (such as satellite remote sensing for environmental monitoring), and on Earth (such as infrastructure for water, energy, and agriculture). In these areas, she has used methods of probabilistic decision analysis, statistics, optimization, networks analysis, and Monte Carlo simulations to study and design complex adaptive systems.

Dr. Siddiqi has co-authored a book and over 125 technical and scientific publications. She has also served as a contributing author to the sixth assessment report of 2022 of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on implications of water, energy, and food interconnections for climate change adaptation.

She has led over 26 technical projects, and has taught courses on Systems Engineering, Analytical Methods, Sustainable Infrastructure, and Environmental Governance at undergraduate, graduate, and professional education levels at MIT and Harvard Kennedy School. Her work has received teaching awards and fellowships including the Amelia Earhart Fellowship, Richard D. DuPont Fellowship, and the Rene H. Miller Prize in Systems Engineering.