Cynthia Barnhart (born 1959) is an American

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing i ...

and academic. She previously served as the

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

of the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern t ...

, the first woman to hold that position. Barnhart's work focuses on transportation and operations research, specifically specializing in developing models, optimization methods and decision support systems for large-scale transportation problems. She also is a professor in MIT's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and is an associate dean of the School of Engineering, serving a brief tenure as interim dean of engineering from 2010 to 2011. Barnhart became a member of the

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of ...

in 2010 for professional leadership and contributions to optimization and transportation models, algorithms, and applications. On February 10, 2022, MIT announced that Barnhart will become MIT's next Provost, effective March 7.

Early life and education

Barnhart was born in Barre, Vermont. She received her B.S. in

civil engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewa ...

from the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a public land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is among the oldest universities in the United ...

in 1981, going on to earn her M. S in transportation in 1985, and civil engineering Ph.D in 1988 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She spent two years working at

Bechtel Bechtel Corporation () is an American engineering, procurement, construction, and project management company founded in San Francisco, California, and headquartered in Reston, Virginia. , the '' Engineering News-Record'' ranked Bechtel as ...

, a firm in Washington, D.C., as a planning engineer for the city's subway system.

Academic career

After graduation, Barnhart worked as an assistant professor at the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

before returning to MIT as an assistant professor in 1992, eventually becoming a full professor in 2002. At MIT she has served as co-director of the Center for Transportation and Logistics, co-director of the Operations Research Center, and director of Transportation@MIT. She is the

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the dea ...

Professor of Engineering at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, with a join appointment at the Engineering Systems Division. Barnhart was president of the

Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) is an international society for practitioners in the fields of operations research (O.R.), management science, and analytics. It was established in 1995 with the merger of ...

for the 2008 term. She was appointed as the 6th Chancellor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2014, succeeding W. Eric Grimson, a professor of Computer Science and Engineering. On May 3, 2021, it was announced that Barnhart will step down from her role as Chancellor on July 1, 2021, at which time she will return to research and teaching activities as a faculty member.

Awards

* 2011 class of

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

s of the

* INFORMS Award for the Advancement of Women in Operations Research and Management Science. * 2003 Franz Edelman prize for excellence in operations research and management sciences (2nd-place). * Presidential Young Investigator Award from the National Science Foundation * Member of the

(2010)

References

External links

Office of the Chancellor homepage

Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering page

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnhart, Cynthia Living people American civil engineers MIT School of Engineering faculty MIT School of Engineering alumni Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering University of Vermont alumni Georgia Tech faculty 1959 births Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellows of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences