LAI Co-Director

Professor of the Practice of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Engineering Systems

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it | 617-253-7339

Professor Deborah Nightingale has more than 35 years of broad-based experience with academia, the private sector, and the government. Professor Nightingale joined the MIT faculty in 1997 and holds a dual appointment in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Engineering Systems Division and co-directs LAI. Her research interests are focused on lean enterprise integration, enterprise architecting, and organizational transformation. She has led several executive lean transformation engagements in both industry and government.

Prior to joining MIT, Professor Nightingale headed up Strategic Planning and Global Business Development for Allied Signal Engines. At Allied Signal she held a number of executive leadership positions in operations, engineering, and program management and participated in enterprise-wide operations from concept development to customer support. Earlier in her career she worked at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base where she served as program manager for computer simulation modeling research, design, and development in support of advanced man-machine design concepts.

Professor Nightingale has a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University in Industrial and Systems Engineering. She also holds M.S. and B.S. degrees in computer and information science from The Ohio State and University of Dayton, respectively. She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Past-President and Fellow of the Institute of Industrial Engineers. She is a co-author of Lean Enterprise Value: Insights from MIT’s Lean Aerospace Initiative, which received the 2003 Best Engineering Sciences Book Award from the International Astronautical Academy. Professor Nightingale serves on a number of boards and national committees and interacts extensively with industry, government, and academic leaders.