Optimal behavior of systems

Achieving “a sustainable future for all” was high on the global political agenda in 2015. To contribute to progress in this area, ASA researchers developed novel global economic growth models capable of generating solutions related to green growth and sustainable development; regional models of the food-water-energy nexus elucidating trade-offs between sectors; and models of harvested renewable natural resources that allow for understanding the consequences of different management actions. To enable analyzing such models, ASA researchers have furthered approaches and tools of the control over infinite horizons, stochastic optimization, and control of distributed systems, respectively.

Drivers and impacts of economic growth

Advanced Systems Analysis (ASA) Program researchers develop and study stylized economic growth models and advance methods of the optimal control theory needed to analyze such models, also taking inherent uncertainties into account. Long-term economic growth is driven by the dynamics of natural, physical, and human capital and is subject to feedback with the environment. More

Robust solutions for the food-water-energy nexus

Advanced Systems Analysis (ASA) Program researchers model interconnected food, water, and energy systems and advance methods of stochastic optimization. This can help to design management strategies that are robust with respect to inherent uncertainties and risks. More

Modeling and optimal management of size-structured biological populations

Advanced Systems Analysis (ASA) Program researchers develop and analyze stylized models of biological populations (e.g., fish or forests), in which individuals’ growth significantly depends on their size or age and on the size or age of others. The aim is to understand the consequences of various management strategies, and to identify those, which can optimize typical economic (e.g., profit) and environmental (e.g., biodiversity) objectives. More

Advances in control theory

Researchers in the Advanced Systems Analysis (ASA) Program make advances in contemporary control theory related to control under incomplete information, control of distributed systems, and construction of the attainability domains. More

Last edited: 15 March 2016