Dennis L. Meadows

Professor Emeritus of Systems Policy, University of New Hampshire and President, Laboratory for Interactive Learning

Dennis L. Meadows has a BA in chemistry from Carleton College and a PhD in Management from MIT. Three European universities have awarded him honorary doctorates in economics and environmental sciences. Between 1969 and 1988 he was on the faculty of the MIT System Dynamics Group, The Dartmouth College Tuck School of Business, and the Dartmouth College Thayer School of Engineering.
As a young faculty member he took a year's leave of absence from MIT and drove from London to Sri Lanka and back. That trip gave him the incentive and many useful insights for a life-long career focused on the interaction of economy, politics, ecology, technology, and culture as they influence long-term patterns of development in human societies. That lead, among other things to prolific writing.
As the author or co-author he has written eight books on aspects of forecasting, systems analysis, sustainable development, social change, and the global economy. Included is the most widely sold computer simulation book in history, The Limits to Growth. The texts have been translated into more than 35 languages. One was awarded the German Peace Prize. He designs sophisticated games to convey principles of systems thinking for managers in the corporate and public sectors. His games are used in the school systems of almost every US state and at least 20 nations. Most recently the World Bank acquired 100 sets of STRATAGEM for its own training programs. National television news coverage recently included a 15 minute broadcast feature on FISH BANKS LTD, his game about sustainable management of renewable resources.
He is a member of the management council of the Browne Center, a creative center for action learning a team building. It conducts programs for over 9000 participants each year.
He has been president of both the System Dynamics Society and the International Simulation and Games Association. His work introduced computer-assisted role-playing simulations and games as a central foundation for System Dynamics research and teaching.
A recent world-wide poll of professionals, conducted by the Encyclopedia of the Future ranked Meadows as a member of the group of the 100 most influential futurists of all time. He was a co-founder of a very successful computer-model-based consulting company, Resource Systems Group. He has been on the board of directors of New Hampshire Blue Cross/Blue Shield Corporation and WindSolar, an international wind park development company based in Darmstadt, Germany.