OBA Seminar Series

Resilience and Sustainable Development

Joseph Fiksel, Ph.D. Executive Director of the Center for Resilience at The Ohio State University

Thursday, December 1, 2011 – 12 noon – 220 Carl H. Lindner Hall

Abstract: Traditional modeling approaches are ill suited to a world of increasing connectivity, complexity, and turbulent change. Integrated assessment of dynamic, complex systems is challenging because hidden interactions can produce surprising side effects. A key factor is resilience, the capacity of a system to survive, adapt and grow in a continuously changing environment. Indeed, resilience is a prerequisite for sustainability. Living systems such as communities or ecosystems perpetually evolve through cycles of growth, crisis, and renewal. They respond resiliently to emerging threats or opportunities using a variety of flexible strategies. The concept of resilience is equally applicable to industrial enterprises, and encompasses a range of issues from short-term risk management and supply chain continuity to long-term economic sustainability. The Center for Resilience was established in 2005 with the mission of strengthening the resilience of global industrial systems and the environments in which they operate. Through sponsored research, the Center has developed a number of advanced modeling tools for assessment of sustainability and resilience in enterprise systems. This talk will give examples of current projects, including an engagement with Dow Chemical to develop advanced tools and business processes for assuring global supply chain resilience. Biography: Dr. Joseph Fiksel is Executive Director of the Center for Resilience at The Ohio State University, an interdisciplinary research center. As a research faculty member in the Integrated Systems Engineering Department, he collaborates with companies, government agencies, non-profits, and other organizations to develop new methods and tools for understanding the interdependence among social, environmental, and economic systems. Joseph is also Principal and Co-Founder of the consulting firm Eco-Nomics LLC, and is an internationally recognized expert on sustainable business practices, including life cycle management, design for environment, and sustainable supply chain management. A native of Montreal, he began his career with DuPont of Canada, and subsequently worked for Arthur D. Little and Battelle. Currently he is Sustainability Advisor to the U.S. EPA Office of Research & Development. Joseph was an officer and founding member of the Society for Risk Analysis, and has testified on health risk analysis issues before Congressional and White House committees. He has published over 70 refereed articles and several books, and is a frequent invited speaker at international business and professional conferences. His most recent book, Design for Environment, 2nd Edition: A Guide to Sustainable Product Development, was published by McGraw-Hill in 2009. Joseph holds a bachelor’s degree from M.I.T., a doctorate in Operations Research from Stanford University, and an advanced degree in applied mathematics from La Sorbonne in Paris. For information about the OBA Seminar series, contact Uday Rao, uday.rao@uc.edu, 513 556 7138.