Steven D. Eppinger, D.Sc.
Professor of Management Science and Innovation
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Sloan School of Management
Co-editor of AIPMM’s The Guide to the Product Management and Marketing Body of Knowledge (ProdBOK), Steven D. Eppinger, D.Sc. is professor of management science and innovation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management. The General Motors Leaders for Global Operations chair, he has a joint appointment in MIT’s engineering systems division, and is the faculty co-director of its system design and management masters program, Dr. Eppinger served as deputy dean of the Sloan School from 2004 to 2009, and as interim dean in 2007. From 2001 to 2003, he was faculty co-director of the leaders for manufacturing and the system design and management programs. From 1999 to 2001, he was co-director of the Center for Innovation in Product Development.
Dr. Eppinger created an interdisciplinary product development course in which graduate students from engineering, management, and industrial design programs collaborate to develop new products. He also teaches MIT’s executive programs in the areas of product development and complex project management. In addition to ProdBOK, he is also the co-author of Product Design and Development, a popular textbook published by McGraw-Hill now in its fifth edition and used by hundreds of universities around the world.
Dr. Eppinger’s research is applied to improving complex design processes in order to accelerate industrial practices. He is a pioneer in development of the widely-used Design Structure Matrix (DSM) method for managing complex system projects. The authored of more than 70 articles in refereed academic journals and conferences, he also co-wrote a book based on DSM research, entitled Design Structure Matrix Methods and Applications and published by MIT Press.
Dr. Eppinger earned B.S., M.S., and D.Sc. degrees in mechanical engineering from MIT before joining its faculty in 1988. During his tenure at the university, he has received MIT’s Graduate Student Council Teaching Award, the Sloan School’s Award for Innovation and Excellence in Management Education, and the ASME Best Paper Award twice in design theory and methodology. In addition to holding several private corporate advisory positions, Dr. Eppinger serves on the advisory board of the Design Society, on the research advisory council of the Design Management Institute, and on the advisory board of directors of the Society of Concurrent Product Development.