Wicked Problems

What’s on offer?

Systems engineer and author Guru Madhavan discusses his new book, Wicked Problems, which explores how ‘‘wicked problems’’ have emerged throughout history and asks how we can address them in the future. Following the talk, there will be a Q&A with questions from the in-person and online audience.

What’s it about?

Our world is filled with problems – how, for example, did novice pilots learn to fly without taking to the air and risking their lives? How should cities process mountains of waste without polluting the environment? Challenges that concern the personal, the public and the planetary – often occurring in healthcare, business, infrastructure, and policy – are known as ‘’wicked problems’’, and they are not going away anytime soon.

You will learn about the history of wicked problems from author and systems engineer, Guru Madhavan, and how we can better address these challenges. He argues that engineering is a cultural choice – one that requires us to restlessly find ways to transform society, but perhaps more critically, to also care for the creations that already exist.

Who’s leading the event?

• Guru Madhavan, Norman R. Augustine Senior Scholar and senior director of programs at the U.S. National Academy of Engineering.
• Chaired by Michael Muthukrishna, Associate Professor of Economic Psychology at LSE.

Open to

Open to all

Of particular interest to

Everyone

Event Booking details

This public event is free and open to all. This event will be a hybrid event, with an in-person audience and an online audience. For the in-person event: No ticket or pre-registration is required. Entry is on a first come, first served basis. 

Event booking deadline

Registration for the online event will open after 10am on Tuesday 1 October.