Urban Service Systems
From RAND-era New York City police patrol studies to city-scale logistics — models that shaped modern public operations and emergency response.
Critical thinkers are energetic detectives … always seeking the facts.
— Prof. Richard C. Larson
About
The professor of possibilities
Richard “Dick” Charles Larson is an American engineer and operations research specialist whose work spans urban service systems, queueing science, disaster planning, pandemics, logistics, and technology-enabled education. A professor at MIT’s Institute for Data, Systems, and Society — and a member of the National Academy of Engineering — he is widely known as Doctor Queue.
Born in Bayside, Queens, he earned his S.B., S.M., and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from MIT (1965–69). Early RAND Corporation studies of New York City emergency services launched a career of six books, 175+ scientific articles, leadership of ORSA and INFORMS, and founding roles in MIT BLOSSOMS and MIT LINC — bringing STEM learning to classrooms worldwide.
50+Years at MIT
175+Scientific articles
6Books authored
International Association of Top Professionals
Celebrated by IAOTP
Every IAOTP honor earned by Prof. Larson — from Top Professor and Lifetime Achievement through Fearless Leaders, Hall of Fame, TIP Magazine, and the Planet Hollywood billboard.
Complete IAOTP record
Awards & recognition from IAOTP
Magazine covers · Billboards · Gala
In print and in the lights
TIP Magazine Special Issue 2025, Top 50 Fearless Leaders 2026, and the Planet Hollywood billboard — with Bellagio and Plaza gala celebrations.
As seen on ABC, FOX, NBC, CBS, CW, Telemundo & more through IAOTP features.
Vegas Gala 2025
In the lights
Planet Hollywood
Celebrated on the Planet Hollywood billboard in Las Vegas for IAOTP’s Lifetime Achievement Award — Hall of Fame honoree recognition in the lights.
In the lights
Times Square
Celebrated roughly 22 stories high in Midtown Manhattan — and featured in the December 2024 Boston regional edition of TIME magazine through Marquis Who’s Who.
Also noted
Marquis Who’s Who
A quieter chapter alongside the IAOTP story — TIME magazine, a Times Square billboard, and Marquis Milestones.
Beyond the resume
Life & legacy
Family, home, and the quieter chapters that sit alongside a lifetime at MIT — shared with warmth and care.
Scholarship & impact
Where systems meet people
From New York City emergency services to global STEM classrooms, Larson’s career applies operations research to the systems we depend on — and the students who will redesign them next.
Queueing & Doctor Queue
Creator of the Hypercube Queueing Model and Queue Inference Engine — and a global voice on the psychology of waiting, from NPR to The Washington Post.
Technology-Enabled Education
Founder and director of MIT LINC, principal investigator of MIT BLOSSOMS, and former director of MIT’s Center for Advanced Educational Services (1995–2003).
Public Health & Resilience
Research informing pandemic response, vaccine distribution, disaster planning, smart-energy systems, and workforce planning.
Public signature
Doctor Queue
Known worldwide for the science — and psychology — of waiting. Larson’s work on fairness, serpentine lines, and the stress of being skipped has shaped how banks, parks, cities, and media talk about the line.
One long wait in a store became a research path that earned him the nickname Doctor Queue — and a lifetime of explaining why the wait feels longer than the clock says.
Books
A shelf of systems thinking
Author, co-author, or editor of six books — from Lanchester Prize–winning police patrol analysis to today’s guide for everyday model thinking.
Latest · 2023 · INFORMS
Model Thinking for Everyday Life
How to Make Smarter Decisions
A lifetime of MIT teaching distilled into an active-learning guide for framing problems, seeing systems clearly, and thinking beyond the instant answer.
- Frame problems before chasing solutions
- Use models — conceptual and mathematical — to see the physics of everyday life
- Practice discovery learning with pencil, paper, and patience
Also published
Urban Operations Research
Widely cited text on probabilistic modeling, queueing, networks, and simulation for urban service systems — free online from MIT.
More information
Urban Police Patrol Analysis
Foundational OR models for patrol allocation, response, and dispatch — awarded ORSA’s Frederick W. Lanchester Prize.
More informationPolice Deployment
New Tools for Planners
Urban Public Safety Systems Vol. I — applying the Hypercube Queueing Model to sector redesign and patrol planning.
More information
Police Accountability
Performance Measures and Unionism
Urban Public Safety Systems Vol. II — performance measurement, accountability, and labor issues in policing.
Lexington Books
Emergency Medical Systems Analysis
Urban Public Safety Systems Vol. IV — analytical methods for designing and evaluating emergency medical services.
Lexington Books
Video & audio
In the media
Start with Infinite MIT’s oral history, then IAOTP interviews, TIME coverage, BLOSSOMS, NPR, and more.
IAOTP · TIP RadioTIP Radio interview with Miss Universe Michelle McLean
More on YouTube
Infinite MITOral history interview — Richard Larson ’65, SM ’67, PhD ’69WikipediaRichard Larson (academic) — biography & referencesNational Academy of EngineeringMember profile — elected 1993TIME MagazineFeatured in the December 2024 Boston regional edition (Marquis Who’s Who)MIT BLOSSOMSVideo introduction — Prof. Larson on the BLOSSOMS initiativeNPR“Dr. Queue” Helps You Avoid Rage In LineThe Washington PostWhat really drives you crazy about waiting in lineMarketplaceTransforming your wait in line from torture to funMIT NewsAvenue Queue — the wait that inspired a career shiftTIP RadioFull episode page — interview with Michelle McLean
Career recognition
Awards & distinctions
A lifetime of peer-reviewed excellence — from the Lanchester Prize as one of the youngest recipients, to membership in the National Academy of Engineering and leadership of ORSA and INFORMS.
2026
IAOTP Hall of Fame
International Association of Top Professionals
2026
Top 50 Fearless Leaders
IAOTP publication honor
2025
IAOTP Lifetime Achievement Award
International Association of Top Professionals
2025
Top Professor of the Year
International Association of Top Professionals
2024
TIME Magazine Feature
Marquis Who’s Who — Boston regional edition of TIME
2024
Times Square Billboard
Marquis Who’s Who — Midtown Manhattan celebration
2024
Marquis Who’s Who Milestone
Marquis Milestones — lifetime excellence profile
2017
Daniel Berg Lifetime Achievement Medal
International Academy of Information Technology and Quantitative Management
2015
Lawrence M. Klein Award
U.S. Department of Labor — STEM workforce research featured in The New York Times
2005
President, INFORMS
Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences
2004
Harold Larnder Prize
Canadian Operational Research Society
2003
INFORMS President’s Award
Excellence in research, teaching innovation, and practical application
2002
George E. Kimball Medal
INFORMS — dedicated service to the operations research community
2002
INFORMS Founding Fellow
Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences
1993–94
President, ORSA
Operations Research Society of America
1993
National Academy of Engineering
Elected for developing and applying OR methodologies in service industries
1972
Frederick W. Lanchester Prize
ORSA — Urban Police Patrol Analysis (MIT Press)
Press & profiles
Coverage & features
From Wikipedia and the National Academy of Engineering to NPR, The Washington Post, MIT News, INFORMS, RAND, and IAOTP press — curated links for the full record.
WikipediaRichard Larson (academic) — full biographyOpenNational Academy of EngineeringMember profile — elected 1993OpenINFORMSBiographical profile — Larson, Richard C.OpenRAND CorporationAuthor page — urban emergency services researchOpenMarquis Who’s WhoMilestone profile — Richard LarsonOpenTIME MagazineDecember 2024 feature — Marquis Who’s Who / Boston editionOpenInsights SuccessThe Professor of PossibilitiesOpenCIO World MediaTransforming theory into impactOpenMIT NewsLearning how to learn — Model ThinkingOpenInfinite MITOral history — Richard Larson ’65, SM ’67, PhD ’69OpenNPR“Dr. Queue” Helps You Avoid Rage In LineOpenThe Washington PostWhat really drives you crazy about waiting in lineOpenTIP RadioInterview with Miss Universe Michelle McLeanOpenEIN PresswireIAOTP Lifetime Achievement AwardOpenEIN PresswireIAOTP Hall of Fame InductionOpenOpen Access GovernmentContributor profile — MITOpenCanadian Operational Research SocietyHarold Larnder PrizeOpen
Speaking & media
Engage Prof. Larson
Invites for keynotes, IAOTP features, classroom talks, and press on operations research, education, and the science of waiting — answered through his MIT channels.
Directory
Explore the full record
Official profiles, initiatives, and associations — curated in one place for colleagues, media, students, and the IAOTP community.