About US
“Diaries During Lockdown” is a network of professionally trained mathematical modelers (along with some of their friends and colleagues) who are using the tools of system dynamics and systems thinking to explain many of the complex choices facing individuals, organizations, and governments as we collectively grapple with the COVID19 pandemic. The apparent voice of this story is that of David Andersen, a retired Professor of System Dynamics and Public Policy who lives on New Fadum Farm. This voice is actually the synthesis of a number of different analysts and writers.
Contact us via
diaries.during.lockdown@gmail.com
Our Team

David Andersen
Author
David F. Andersen is a retired professor of public administration and information science at the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, University at Albany--SUNY. He holds an AB in Mathematics and Social Sciences from Dartmouth College and his PhD in Management from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Ali Mashayekhi
Modeler Expert
Ali N. Mashayekhi is a retired professor of management from Sharif University of Technology at Tehran, Iran where he taught system dynamics and strategic management. He received his BSc in Mechanical Engineering from Sharif University and his PhD in System Dynamics from MIT in Cambridge Massachusetts.

Dan Gordon
Author / Modeler
Now retired, Dan Gordon worked for the New York State Department of Health in the fields of health services research and HIV epidemiology. He holds an SB degree in Life Sciences from MIT and PhD in Public Administration from the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, University at Albany, State University of New York.

Andrada Tomoaia-Cotisel
public policy modeler
Policy Researcher at the RAND Corporation and Professor of Policy Analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. She teaches and mentors Ph.D. students in mixed-methods approaches to system dynamics modeling and systems thinking. She received her Ph.D. in Health Services Research & Policy from LSHTM.

Hyunjung Kim
Learning Material Developer
Hyunjung Kim is a professor of management at California State University, Chico. She teaches strategy and management courses using system dynamics. She received her Ph.D. in Public Administration from the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, University at Albany.
Latest Diaries

Are the Vaccines Ready for our New Year’s Resolutions and Plans?
Deborah and David are ready to set plans for 2021 now that the vaccines have been approved. But are the vaccines ready for them?

A Quick Trip Across the Berkshires to Visit our (Pregnant) Daughter
Deborah and David are anxious to see their youngest daughter who has moved out of Brooklyn, is now pregnant, and has recently moved a second time. Maybe her new home in Northampton, a short and very pleasant drive across the Berkshires, can finally make a visit possible?

What Causes the Shape of the Pandemic?
Understanding what drives surges and turnarounds in the COVID-19 infection rate is important for managing our day-to-day plans. Ali’s model has some answers.