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A multi-institutional team of researchers from the Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics has received the prestigious Jay Wright Forrester Award, recognising the best contribution to the field of system dynamics during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The award-winning paper, , was published in the European Journal of Operational Research in February 2024. It emerged from the team’s work with the Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group (IEMAG), which was established in March 2020 to support Ireland’s national response to the pandemic.

The research played a key role in shaping public health policy by modelling disease spread and evaluating potential interventions. It showcased how system dynamics—a computer-aided method for strategy and policy design—can be effectively applied to public health and pandemic response.

Insight researchers Professor James Gleeson from ��ɫ��Ƶ; Professor Jim Duggan from University of Galway; and Prof Brendan Murphy from University College Dublin co-authored the paper with colleagues Dr Jair Andrade, Professor Cathal Walsh and Professor Philip Nolan. The paper described a computer simulation model developed to generate disease incidence projections, and to inform policy analysis in Ireland.

The team developed a computer simulation model to generate projections of disease incidence and inform policy decisions. As the virus evolved and vaccination efforts progressed, the model was continuously updated using real-time data from the HSE.

The System Dynamics Society, which has promoted the use of system dynamics modelling since 1983, praised the work as “an outstanding application of system dynamics” with ongoing influence on public health governance in Ireland.

Commenting on the award, Professor Gleeson said: “It was a privilege to work with the team of six co-authors on this paper, led by Prof Jim Duggan and Dr Jair Andrade. The fact that four of the co-authors are members of the Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics reflects the importance of these national centres as hubs where researchers can work together across institutions, and apply their research with impacts on policy-making. The fields of system dynamics, computer science, applied mathematics, and statistics are all important when building models for disease spread, and having multi-disciplinary collaborations produces high-quality work.”

The US-based Systems Dynamics Society was established in 1983 to promote the development and use of system dynamics modelling, a powerful tool for understanding complex systems and solving real-world problems.