Born in Boston on February 1, 1928,[1] he earned a B. S. in physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1948)[1] and worked at General Electric (1948–50).
His Ph.D. on Use of Storage Water in a Hydroelectric System used dynamic programming, and advised by Philip M. Morse, was the first ever awarded in operations research (1955).
Little is considered to be a founder of marketing science,[3] having conducted fundamental research in models of individual choice behavior, adaptive control of promotional spending, and marketing mix models for consumer packaged goods.
He has also started companies such as Management Decisions Systems and Kana Software.
[1] Little was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering (1989) for outstanding contributions to operational systems engineering including research, education, and applications in industry and leadership.