Lauren Finegan
Research Scientist / Engineer
- Washington DC UNITED STATES
Lauren Finegan promotes evidence-informed policy through outreach with public and private stakeholders.
Media
Social
Biography
Research Focus
Critical Systems & Supply Network Resilience
Ensuring continuity, preparedness, and mission assurance under disruption and geopolitical volatility.
Human-Centered Systems & Quality of Life
Designing systems, services, and policies that enhance human well-being across work, home, and society.
Areas of Expertise
Education
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MS
Technology and Policy
2015
Syracuse University
BS
Civil Engineering; Strategic Management
2010
Languages
- English
Media Appearances
The Case for a National Disaster Research Strategy
Issues in Science and Technology online
2025-09-10
An integrated, interdisciplinary national research strategy is urgently needed to strengthen the country’s efforts to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters.
Blue Sky, Gray Sky – Part 1
MIT Supply Chain Frontiers Podcast online
2023-07-31
In this episode, Tim Russell and Lauren Finegan of the MIT Humanitarian Supply Chain Lab discuss the fundamentals of humanitarian logistics and disaster response—including how to best build resilient communities, how the public and private sectors can work together for optimal disaster response, and how their research and work helps inform and strengthen disaster response work worldwide.
Speaking Engagements/Featured Conversations
SC0x Live - Models in Disaster Response with Jarrod Goentzel
MIT's Jarrod Goentzel hosts Jason Acimovic, (Penn) Katrice Pearison, (FEMA) Lauren Finegan (FEMA) & Jeffrey Dorko (FEMA) brings problems from practice from their work in emergency response in Supply Chain. Watch full discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjt9ivoiJQE
Research Papers
Scaling Post-Disaster Housing Capacity
MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics Research PaperJarrod Goentzel, Lauren Finegan, Erin Reissman, Timothy Russell, Drew Story
2025-07-17
In January 2024, the Humanitarian Supply Chain Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology held a roundtable on the theme of scaling construction capacity after disasters, convening individuals from academia, nonprofit, and public and private sector organizations. Participants brought varied perspectives, including considerations of supply chains, government policies, building codes, and private sector construction operations. To ensure candor, the event was held under Chatham House Rule. The roundtable used recent natural disasters and their housing challenges to frame discussions around two goals:(1) identify approaches to increase capacity for rapidly deployable housing solutions after disasters and (2) capture policy and operational constraints that hinder implementation of those rapidly deployable housing solutions.
Fuel Supply Chain Workshop Summary: Discussing 2024 Disasters and Developing a Response Playbook
MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics Research PaperJarrod Goentzel, Timothy Russell, Lauren Finegan
2025-04-18
On December 11-12, 2024, the MIT Humanitarian Supply Chain Lab held a workshop in Cambridge, MA with industry, academic, non-profit and government stakeholders to discuss fuel supply chains in the 2024 hurricane season and establish a foundation for developing a fuel response playbook for future disasters. This report summarizes the key discussions and takeaways, operational challenges faced in recent hurricanes, best practices, and important concepts to form the foundation of a fuel response playbook in future disasters.
New Madrid Seismic Zone Wicked Problems Workshop Summary Roundtable Report
MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics Research PaperLauren Finegan, Timothy Russell, Jarrod Goentzel
2025-04-18
On January 29, 2025, the Supply Chain Analysis Network (SCAN), American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN), and the MIT Humanitarian Supply Chain Lab (HSCL) held a workshop in Memphis, TN with industry, academic, and government stakeholders to discuss the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ) as a" Wicked Problem": that is, a" class of social system problems which are ill-formulated, where the information is confusing, where there are many clients and decision makers with conflicting values, and where the ramifications in the whole system are thoroughly confusing." This report summarizes the key discussions, insights, and action items from this workshop which focused on building resilience, supply chain disruption, and emergency response coordination.