Takeru Igusa, PhD

Co-Investigator, Education and Training Program (ETP)
Professor, Civil Engineering Department
Joint appointments: Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Earth and Planetary Sciences, International Health
Whiting School of Engineering 

Prof. Igusa has engaged in a spectrum of systems science activities at the Johns Hopkins University, ranging from administrative work to course development and research mentorship that has led to the establishment of the Johns Hopkins Systems Institute in 2011.  He has been working with deans and administrators in the schools of engineering, medicine, public health and management as well as the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in formulating the research vision, collaborative organization and educational framework that would promote and promulgate trans disciplinary systems science thinking.  He has been successful in working with the Dean of Engineering in securing seed funding from these schools and the Laboratory and was appointed as the founding Associate Director, in charge of research and education. 

Prof. Igusa has a broad background in engineering and applied mathematics, which has allowed him to collaborate with a wide scope of researchers.  Three recent examples are: a CDC project involving epidemiologists, environmental health scientists and sociologists on indices for community resilience to natural disasters, an internally funded project with clinicians and mathematicians on models for autoimmune rheumatic disorders, and an NSF IGERT (graduate training) project on multi-scale, multi-physics processes. For more information see here.

Representative Publications:

• Wang, Y., Xue, H., Chen, H.-J., Igusa, T. (2014).  "Examining social norm impacts on obesity and eating behaviors among US school children based on agent-based model," BMC Public Health, 6;14:923.
• Dugas, A.F. Jalalpour, M., Gel, Y., Levin, S., Torcaso, F., Igusa, T., Rothman, R.E.  (2013).  “Influenza forecasting with Google Flu Trends,” PLoS ONE, 8:e56176.
• Jalalpour, M., Guest, J.K., Igusa, T. (2013). “Reliability-based topology optimization of trusses with stochastic stiffness,” Structural Safety, 43:41-49.
• Xue, H., Chen, H.J., Hobbs, B.F., Igusa, T. and Wang, Y.F. (2012). “System Dynamics Model Simulated Consumer and Supplier Responses to Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes,” Faseb Journal, 26.267.7.
• Fritz, W.P., N.P. Jones and T. Igusa. (2009).  "Predictive models for the median and variability of building period and damping". Journal of Structural Engineering, 135:576-586.

For a full publications list see here.