Advanced Systems Analysis (ASA)


The ASA Program’s overall mission is to advance systems analysis by substantiating the integration of systems methods and applied research on problems of global change and universal importance. ASA research ultimately aims to produce, practice and prototype novel system-analytical approaches which allow solving problems that cannot be addressed by the existing tools, or which enable addressing the problems more efficiently.
ASA’s research is organized around the three research domains.


1. Optimal behavior of systems: ASA researches how decision making can be formalized in models and what consequences different decisions yield, with the focus on

  • long-term resource management and economic growth models and corresponding methods of optimal control theory
  • resource management models under uncertainty and risks and corresponding methods of stochastic optimization
  • the development of models of heterogeneous populations, and multi-criteria analysis

2. Interactions within systems: Here we address the role of the system structure, i.e., indirect links and connectivity between individual systems within a larger system, and focus on

  • network analysis and the role of indirect connections in natural and human-made real-life systems 
  • the modeling of network dynamics and evaluating systemic risks in natural and human-made networks

3. Critical transitions and resilience: ASA research focuses on complex, large systems with the aim to study system’s resilience towards extreme shocks. In particular, the following areas are explored and advanced:

  • conceptualizing and quantifying sustainability
  • approaches to deal with uncertainty in climate indicators
  • novel data analysis methods to reveal dynamic behavior patterns
  • qualitative (e.g., soft systems mapping) and quantitative (e.g., agent-based modeling) methods to study resilience of national and regional economies with respect to extreme external shocks 

In order to support high-impact work in methodology and applications, we are particularly interested in applicants whose research fits with another IIASA program in addition to ASA.


We look forward to seeing your proposal on innovative uses of mathematics to study complex human-environment systems!



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Last edited: 28 May 2015

International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
Schlossplatz 1, A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria
Phone: (+43 2236) 807 0 Fax:(+43 2236) 71 313