In today’s world of complexity—where cities grapple with unpredictable disruptions, classrooms stretch across digital boundaries, and healthcare systems teeter under demand—few disciplines are more vital than systems thinking. And few thinkers have applied that discipline more effectively or compassionately than Professor Richard Charles Larson. A distinguished MIT scholar and internationally renowned expert in operations research, Larson has spent over five decades solving real-world challenges through mathematics, systems analysis, and educational innovation.
Known affectionately in academic and media circles as “Dr. Queue,” for his groundbreaking work on waiting lines and service systems, Larson exemplifies the rare engineer who centers his work not just on efficiency, but on human experience and social impact. Whether optimizing emergency response, analyzing urban infrastructures, or designing science lessons for underserved schools in Pakistan, Larson has made his career a case study in how analytics can serve equity.
Academic Foundations at MIT: Where It All Began
Richard Larson’s journey is tightly interwoven with MIT. He earned his SB (1965), SM (1967), and PhD (1969) in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he would go on to serve for more than five decades. His doctoral thesis focused on the allocation of urban police patrols, an early and clear signal of his interest in blending quantitative reasoning with social and civic systems.
Upon completing his PhD, Larson joined the MIT faculty and quickly distinguished himself in the Institute’s Operations Research Center, where he later served as Director. He held appointments across several departments and ultimately became a Professor of Engineering Systems, also affiliated with MIT’s Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS).
At MIT, Larson wasn’t just an academic fixture—he was a force of innovation. His work would span not only queuing theory and logistics but also crisis modeling, education, and human-centered systems design.
The Rise of “Dr. Queue”: Mastering the Science of Waiting
Larson is perhaps most famously known as “Dr. Queue” for his pioneering work in queuing theory—a branch of mathematics that studies the behavior of waiting lines. But unlike many engineers who focused purely on statistical performance, Larson was equally fascinated with how people perceive waiting, a field now referred to as the psychology of queuing.
One of his most cited quotes captures this perfectly: “The psychology of queuing is more important than the statistics of the wait itself.” That single insight has shaped customer experience strategies across airlines, hospitals, amusement parks, and public services worldwide.
Among his most important technical contributions
- The Hypercube Queueing Model: Used to optimize emergency vehicle deployment like ambulances or patrol cars, it remains a staple in urban service design.
- Queue Inference Engine: A data-mining tool that infers queue performance metrics from incomplete observational data.
These tools have helped cities save millions in response costs and improved access to life-saving services.
Service to the Field: Leadership in OR and INFORMS
Larson’s leadership extended well beyond MIT. He served as:
- President of the Operations Research Society of America (ORSA)
- President of INFORMS (Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences)
- Editor-in-Chief of the journal Interfaces
He has received nearly every major honor in the field, including:
- Election to the National Academy of Engineering (1993) for his contributions to service-sector operations research
- INFORMS President’s Award (2003) for lifetime contributions to the profession
- George E. Kimball Medal (2002) for distinguished service
- Lanchester Prize for his groundbreaking book Urban Police Patrol Analysis
Even as he rose in prominence, Larson remained focused on applying research, not just publishing it. His work influenced postal systems, call centers, hospitals, and urban transportation planning.
MIT’s CAES and the Evolution of Digital Education
From 1995 to 2003, Larson directed MIT’s Center for Advanced Educational Services (CAES). Under his leadership, CAES expanded dramatically—both in technical capacity and intellectual vision. Some highlights from this era include:
- MIT World: A platform offering free video access to MIT lectures
- SMA (Singapore-MIT Alliance): One of the first internet-enabled graduate programs
- Physics Interactive Video Tutor (PIVoT): An early example of adaptive digital learning
This period marked Larson’s growing recognition that education systems themselves needed system-level redesign—especially in developing countries where infrastructure, access, and quality gaps remain acute.
LINC: Learning International Networks Consortium
To formalize his work in international education reform, Larson founded LINC in 2001. The Learning International Networks Consortium is an MIT-hosted initiative aimed at advancing higher education through cross-cultural, digital collaboration.
LINC convenes global conferences every two years, bringing together:
- Ministers of education
- University presidents
- Nonprofit innovators
- Researchers and policymakers
The focus isn’t just on technology, but on how cultures, pedagogy, and policy interact with it. From Nigeria to Jordan, the Philippines to Pakistan, LINC has fostered tangible partnerships aimed at expanding access to affordable, high-quality education.
Larson believes that “education is a human right,” and that the tools to deliver it equitably already exist—we just need systems thinkers to connect them.
MIT BLOSSOMS: Democratizing STEM for the Developing World
Larson’s most enduring contribution to education may well be MIT BLOSSOMS—Blended Learning Open Source Science or Math Studies. Co-founded with his wife, Mary Elizabeth “Liz” Murray (a respected educator), BLOSSOMS offers a hybrid model of education in which world-class video lessons are used alongside in-class activities.
What makes BLOSSOMS innovative?
- Videos are designed to stop periodically, giving students time to solve problems or discuss in class.
- Lessons are produced with local educators, ensuring cultural relevance.
- Content is open-source, with translations in Arabic, Swahili, Urdu, Mandarin, and more.
- Used in over 20 countries, including Pakistan, Jordan, Lebanon, the Philippines, and Mexico.
MIT BLOSSOMS empowers teachers, not replaces them. It respects local context while introducing globally validated pedagogies.
Recent Research: Public Health, Pandemics, and Crisis Systems
Even as Larson’s advanced education reform, Larson remained actively involved in systems research, especially related to public health and crisis response.
During the H1N1 outbreak, Larson co-led a project on vaccine distribution logistics. With the advent of COVID-19, his modeling of testing sites, patient flows, and contact tracing drew international attention. Collaborating with MIT’s IDSS, he worked on:
- Pandemic simulations under uncertainty
- Optimized location for testing centers
- Resource allocation for emergency departments
He has also contributed to smart energy research, modeling how electrical grids might behave under stress—a reflection of his lifelong interest in designing resilient, human-centered infrastructure.
Mentorship, Teaching, and Personal Philosophy
Richard Larson is not only a researcher and leader but also a beloved teacher and mentor. Known for his approachability and wit, he has guided dozens of graduate students—many of whom now lead programs at universities, nonprofits, and government agencies worldwide.
He believes deeply in the power of mentoring, not just for technical development but for shaping character and purpose. His former students often credit him with helping them see that engineering can and should be about improving lives.
Larson’s personal philosophy is rooted in optimism. He often says that systems thinking gives him hope—that even the most daunting problems have elegant, data-driven solutions if approached thoughtfully.
Legacy and Enduring Influence
Across a remarkable five-decade career, Richard Charles Larson has authored more than 175 research papers, six books, and delivered hundreds of invited talks. His influence stretches across:
Academia: As a thought leader and pioneer in applied operations research
Public policy: Through collaborations with city governments and federal agencies
Education reform: Via LINC and BLOSSOMS, helping to bridge the digital divide
Systems design: Applying mathematical insight to improve health, safety, and equity
His combination of technical rigor and moral clarity makes him a standout figure in a world that increasingly needs engineers who can see both the numbers and the people behind them.
Engineering with Empathy
Prof. Richard C. Larson represents the best of what engineering can offer the world—not just computation or efficiency, but compassion, clarity, and service. He has built bridges between disciplines, between institutions, and between continents, always with a systems lens and a human heart.
In the queue lines we stand in, the emergency services we rely on, the classrooms that have gone digital, and the underserved students who now dream bigger—his fingerprints are everywhere.
Larson’s work reminds us that behind every complex system is a simple goal: to make life better. And in that mission, he has never once stood still in the queue.
“Richard sees technology as a powerful force in democratizing education, breaking down barriers that once limited access to world-class learning.”
