Professor Susan Howick
Management Science
Personal statement
Susan Howick is a Professor of Management Science and Vice-Dean (Academic) for Strathclyde Business School. She gained a BSc in Mathematics from Dundee University and a MSc in Operational Research and a PhD in Management Science from Strathclyde. Her main research interest lies in taking a systems perspective when using models to support decision-makers. She has developed approaches to systemic risk evaluation and modelled highly disrupted projects to understand the causes of project failure. She is also interested in exploring approaches to integrating models that promote client value from the modelling process.
Susan was Vice-President of the Operational Research Society in 2019-2021 and President of the Policy Council for the UK Chapter of the System Dynamics Society in 2007-08. She won the Operational Research Society Goodeve medal for her joint paper with Colin Eden "The Impact of Disruption and Delay when Compressing Large Projects: Going for Incentives?" 2001. Susan is on the Editorial Board of the European Journal of Operational Research and is an Associate Editor of the System Dynamics Review. Her consultancy experience includes projects for Bombardier, Strathclyde Police, Reed Elsevier, PriceWaterhouse Coopers, Scottish and Southern Energy.
Area of Expertise
Susan’s research interests are in system dynamics modelling, the integration of modelling methods, disruption and delay analysis on complex projects, applying systems methods to project risk management
Prize And Awards
- EURO Prize for OR for the Common Good 2022 - Finalists
- Recipient
- 6/7/2022
- European Journal of Operational Research Editor's Choice Award
- Recipient
- 2021
- Elected to General Council of the Operational Research Society
- Recipient
- 2018
- Best Paper Award at the 17th International Conference on Group Decision and Negotiation
- Recipient
- 2017
- Elected to Publications Committee for International System Dynamics Society
- Recipient
- 2011
- Elected member of the Policy Council of the International System Dynamics Society
- Recipient
- 2009
Publications
- A system dynamics model of community-based health insurance system in Bangladesh
- Sheikh Md Nurnabi, Howick Susan, Mahmood Shehrin Shaila, Hanifi Syed Manjoor Ahmed, Morton Alec
- SSM - Health Systems Vol 5 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmhs.2025.100097
- Integrating machine learning and system dynamics
- Mahmoud Hesham, Korzilius Hubert, Olde Rikkert Marcel, Howick Susan, Rouwette Etienne, Schoenberg William
- Methodology to Address Grand Challenges: Theory, Practice, and Interventions (2025) (2025)
- Strategic resource orchestration in academic entrepreneurship
- Wurth Bernd, MacKenzie Niall, Howick Susan, Stam Erik
- 85th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.5465/AMPROC.2025.24889abstract
- Designing a Bayesian urgency assessment tool for search and rescue in the Canadian Arctic
- Peters Joshua, Quigley John, Rudman Archie, Belton Ian, Howick Susan, Kikkert Peter, Walls Lesley
- Proceedings of the 22nd ISCRAM Conference ISCRAM 2025 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.59297/zgw11c50
- Risk modelling for remote communities : an Inuit-driven Bayesian network approach to enhance search and rescue operations in Arctic Canada
- Belton Ian, Quigley John, Rudman Archie, Kikkert Peter, Howick Susan, Walls Lesley
- Proceedings of the 22nd ISCRAM Conference ISCRAM 2025 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.59297/bz4zhp86
- Exploring the drivers of unsustainable pressures in health and social care : a qualitative system dynamics approach.
- Nguyen Le Khanh Ngan, McCabe Holly, Howick Susan, Megiddo Itamar, Sengupta Soumen, Morton Alec
- Social Science and Medicine Vol 371 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.117913
Teaching
Susan has 25 years of experience in teaching to undergraduate, postgraduate and post experience students. Programmes on which she regularly teaches are MBA, MSc Business Analysis & Consulting and MSc Operational Research. Her teaching includes general Management Science classes in additon to specialised classes in system dynamics and project risk management that reflect her key research interests. Susan has delivered training courses for organisations such as Bombardier Inc., Babcock, Scottish and Southern Energy and Scottish Government. She has also taught extensively via distance learning and was involved in developing two unique online MSc's.
Research Interests
My research interests include how multiple modelling methods can be integrated effectively to create robust, client-orientated decision support tools. I have been involved in creating such tools for clients in healthcare, engineering, construction and the energy sector. In addition, I have an interest in understanding what causes complex projects to overrun and in developing new risk assessment and management tools, which enable risk systemicity to be considered.
Professional Activities
- Drivers of pressures in health and social care – A Systems Thinking Approach
- Contributor
- 11/2024
- The Operational Research Society Simulation Workshop 2023
- Keynote/plenary speaker
- 29/3/2023
- European Journal of Operational Research (Journal)
- Editorial board member
- 2022
- Women in Operational Research and Analytics Network (External organisation)
- Advisor
- 2022
- External Examiner for PhD Thesis at University of Gothenburg
- Examiner
- 2022
- EPSRC Peer Review Panel: Mathematical Sciences (Event)
- Advisor
- 6/10/2021
Projects
- ESRC/SGSSS AQM Steers Supervisor-led Studentship Competition 2024/25: £120,000
- Howick, Susan (Academic) Nguyen, Le Khanh Ngan (Academic) Donnachie, Craig (Academic)
- Integrating Behavioural Theories into Simulation Models to Advance the Health Policy Evaluation Approach in Value-Based Health and Care
- 01-Jan-2025 - 30-Jan-2028
- Strengthening search and rescue in Arctic Canada and Scotland with data collection, analysis and modelling tools
- Belton, Ian (Principal Investigator) Rudman, Archie John (Researcher) Quigley, John (Co-investigator) Walls, Lesley (Co-investigator) Howick, Susan (Co-investigator)
- The NNSAR project was focused on enhancing the Search and Rescue (SAR) system in the Canadian Arctic regions of Nunavut and Nunavik, where SAR responders – mostly volunteers – provide 24/7 response capabilities in challenging conditions with limited resources. Their services are essential for community safety and well-being. The NNSAR team has developed a novel quantitative risk model to support decision-making around the strategic allocation of resources for SAR operations.
To improve the management of SAR operations, and to maximise the impact of the NNSAR model, we have identified a need for more and better SAR data. At present, Emergency Management Organizations (EMOs) must allocate resources and seek government funding based on limited and/or anecdotal evidence only. This impact project plans to address the identified data gap in two ways.
First, we will work with Kativik Civil Security (KCS), the Nunavik EMO, to develop a rigorous process for the collection, analysis and reporting of SAR data. Those data will allow KCS to make evidence-based policy decisions to better support SAR in Nunavik and enable us to develop the NNSAR model into one with broad applicability across diverse SAR environments.
Second, we aim to extend the reach of our impact to Scotland. As in Nunavik, Scottish mountain rescue relies on a committed group of volunteers operating in a challenging environment. The two SAR systems share many features, notably growing caseloads that are increasing the strain on responders and the system as a whole. The data available in Scotland are much more detailed than in Nunavik but are currently underutilised. We will form a new partnership with Mountaineering Scotland to:
1. Apply the NNSAR model to existing Scottish mountain rescue data – this can both improve the model and provide useful insights for Scotland, which will translate back to Canada; and
2. Apply learning from the novel Nunavik SAR data collection process to enhance data collection within Scotland.
The outcomes of this project will include enhanced SAR in Nunavik and Scotland, stronger relationships with external partners, and the construction of a risk model with wide application to emergency management operations across the world. - 02-Jan-2025 - 31-Jan-2025
- Nunavut Search and Rescue (NSAR) Project: Supporting Inuit Health and Well-Being, Food Security, Economic Development, and Community Resilience
- Quigley, John (Principal Investigator) Howick, Susan (Co-investigator) Walls, Lesley (Co-investigator) Wright, George (Co-investigator)
- 06-Jan-2022 - 05-Jan-2025
- TIC LCPE Repowering Hydro Plants - a Decision Support Tool
- Walls, Lesley (Principal Investigator) Howick, Susan (Co-investigator) Quigley, John (Co-investigator) Revie, Matthew (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2017 - 31-Jan-2018
- EPSRC Institutional Sponsorship: Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) / R160677-104
- Morton, Alec (Principal Investigator) Howick, Susan (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2016 - 31-Jan-2017
- Smart Mature Resilience (SMR) H2020 (SC7)
- Howick, Susan (Principal Investigator)
- 01-Jan-2015 - 30-Jan-2018