Youssef Marzouk ’97, SM ’99, PhD ’04, the Breene M. Kerr (1951) Professor within the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AeroAstro) at MIT, has been named associate dean of the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, effective July 1.
Marzouk, who has been co-director of the Center for Computational Science and Engineering (CCSE) since 2018, will focus in his new capacity on enhancing a cohesive community among bilingual computing faculty at MIT. A significant part of this initiative will be to offer additional framework and assistance for faculty who have been appointed to joint positions across departments and the college.
Shared faculty at MIT signify a modern wave of academics whose research and teaching merge cutting-edge computing with another field (positions that were originally conceived as “bridge faculty” in the 2019 Provost’s Task Force reports). Since 2021, the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing has been progressively expanding this group. Partnering with 24 departments throughout the Institute, 20 faculty members have been appointed to shared roles: three in the School of Architecture and Planning; four within the School of Engineering; seven in the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences; four in the School of Science; and two at the MIT Sloan School of Management.
“Youssef’s expertise in steering interdisciplinary endeavors in research and education at CCSE is directly relevant to the broader mission of uniting MIT’s computing bilinguals in impactful ways. His perspectives and collaborative approach equip him to make a significant impact in this position. We are thrilled to welcome him into this new leadership role within the college,” states Dan Huttenlocher, dean of the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing and the Henry Ellis Warren Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
“I’m thrilled that Youssef has consented to take on this vital role within the college. His thoughtful methodology and nuanced grasp of MIT’s academic framework render him exceptionally qualified to bolster our shared faculty community. I look forward to collaborating closely with him,” adds Asu Ozdaglar, deputy dean of the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, head of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), and the MathWorks Professor of EECS.
Marzouk’s research focuses on the intersection of computational mathematics, statistical inference, and physical modeling. Together with his students, he develops and examines novel techniques for uncertainty quantification, Bayesian computation, and machine learning in intricate physical systems. His recent projects have honed in on algorithms for data assimilation and inverse problems; high-dimensional learning and surrogate modeling; optimal experimental design; and the transport of measures as a mechanism for statistical inference and generative modeling. He is deeply inspired by the connection between theory, methods, and various applications, having worked with fellow researchers at MIT on subjects ranging from materials science to fusion energy to geosciences.
In 2018, he was named co-director of CCSE alongside Nicolas Hadjiconstantinou, the Quentin Berg Professor of Mechanical Engineering. An interdisciplinary center for research and education aimed at advancing innovative computational methods and applications, CCSE became one of the academic units of the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing upon its formal launch in 2020.
CCSE has expanded significantly under the guidance of Marzouk and Hadjiconstantinou. Most recently, they led the design and initiation of the center’s new standalone PhD program in computational science and engineering, which will welcome its second cohort in September. Collectively, CCSE’s standalone and interdisciplinary PhD programs currently enroll over 70 graduate students.
Marzouk is also a principal investigator at the MIT Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems and a core member of MIT’s Statistics and Data Science Center.
Among his numerous accolades, he was designated a fellow of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) in 2025. He was elected associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) in 2018 and received the National Academy of Engineering Frontiers of Engineering Award in 2012, the MIT Junior Bose Award for Teaching Excellence in 2012, and the DOE Early Career Research Award in 2010. His recent external engagements include serving on several journal editorial boards; co-chairing significant SIAM conferences and serving on various SIAM committees; leading scientific advisory boards, including that of the Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics (ICERM); and organizing numerous international programs and workshops.
At MIT, in addition to co-directing CCSE, Marzouk has been both the graduate and undergraduate officer for the Department of AeroAstro. He also oversees the MIT Center for the Exascale Simulation of Materials in Extreme Environments, a collaborative computational initiative backed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Predictive Science Academic Alliance program.
Marzouk earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from MIT. Prior to joining the MIT faculty in 2009, he spent four years at Sandia National Laboratories as a Truman Fellow and a member of the technical staff.