Chelsea Mitchell, a fourth-year MIT PhD student in economics, researches the industrial organization of shipping ports. Growing up in Prince Rupert, BC, with a longshoreman father, she developed firsthand insight into port operations and supply chain volatility. Her research examines how labor disruptions alter shipping patterns, how vertical integration (shipping companies acquiring terminals) affects service fairness and competition, and how port congestion creates bottlenecks in global trade. Her findings show that acquiring carriers receive preferential service during congestion, while competitors face longer wait times. She emphasizes that ports — handling roughly 80% of global trade — are critical yet understudied infrastructure.
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