Management Consultant in PwC Analytics and Decision Science Department

Why did you choose to study System Dynamics?

Thought that mathematically modeling social systems was both interesting and important. I self-studied system dynamics and other dynamic modeling techniques while doing economics research, and found the methodology as an effective and useful approach to problems.

What are your fondest memories from the time you spent studying System Dynamics at UiB?

Academically: the project-based approach in David Wheat’s course, and listening to Pal laugh at his own SD-jokes that we didn’t understand (yet).

Socially: meeting so may interesting people in Fantoft (despite being a huge “lifestyle” downgrade from being a management consultant, was a lot of fun for me), and exploring the Norwegian landscapes on hikes and ski trips with other students.

What was the topic for you Master Thesis?

“Modeling Movie Release Strategies” (system dynamics study of movie box-office results)

Where are you working today?

I am based in San Francisco, working for PwC Analytics and Decision Science Dept. I develop mathematical models of client problems (largely SD and ABM), develop academic partnerships, and support the development of an advanced analytics practice within PwC.

How has your education been relevant for you in your working life?

Entirely.

Would you recommend others to take a degree in System Dynamics? And if yes, why?

Yes. I find the framework to be very useful for approaching real-world problems and would encourage others to study it as well. However, because the field is “non-traditional” I would only encourage people who are self-motivated to pursue the degree, because you will need to demonstrate the value of your degree to the outside world (I found this to be very easy, but other people in the 2012 Erasmus Mundus Program in System Dynamics had more difficulty).