Frank R. Field III

Interim Director, TPP; Senior Research Engineer; Graduate Officer, IDSS

Frank Field holds a PhD from MIT. He is a researcher in the area of materials systems analysis, a field in which economic and operations research methods are applied to problems in materials and materials processing. His research has focused upon the practical application of these methods, and the thrust of this work has been to develop ways in which systems analysis tools, combined with materials process engineering knowledge, can be intelligently applied to address important issues in product development and planning and in the broader areas of materials and environmental policy.

Dr. Field’s work has been applied to materials and manufacturing problems in the automotive, aerospace, electronics, and resource extraction industries. His work bridges the fields of economics, materials engineering, decision analysis, and technology policy, and it has been used by policymakers in government and industry to examine automobile recycling policies and the strategic implications of advanced automobile technologies.

Within MIT, Dr. Field not only has worked with undergraduate and graduate students as a research supervisor, but he has also served in a teaching capacity. He conducts and develops courses in the Technology and Policy Program, where he also serves as director of education and teaches parts of the program core.