Wednesday, May 8, 2024

[DMANET] “AIROYOUNG DISSERTATION AWARD” 2024 - – Call for Applications for a Ph.D. thesis award

*Call for Applications for the Ph.D. Thesis*
* "AIROYOUNG DISSERTATION AWARD" 2024*

*AIROYoung* (AY) announces the *"AIROYoung Dissertation Award 2024"*, for
the best doctoral thesis discussed in Operations Research at an Italian
university, during the period July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024.

*PROCESS OF SELECTION, EVALUATION, AND PRESENTATION OF THE FINALIST THESES*


To evaluate the applications that will be received, AY will identify jurors
external to its board (current and previous), chosen among (former) members
and/or collaborators of AY.


In particular, the selection process will be divided into the following
three phases.

1. *A first committee of reviewers* will carry out a *preliminary
evaluation* of the doctoral theses. For each thesis, two reviewers will
each create a report justifying a score of up to 100 points, according to
the criteria indicated below:

- Pertinence of the thesis topic(s) (maximum 15 points)
- Scientific contribution (maximum 35 points)
- Impact and interdisciplinarity (maximum 25 points)
- Quality of the publications taken from the thesis (maximum 15 points)
- Writing quality (maximum 10 points)


2. Based on the same criteria, a *second committee* will receive all the
reports of all the reviewers to *compare all the theses overall*, thus
obtaining a* definitive evaluation* and a *ranking*. At most, the first
four theses in the ranking will be named finalists and will access the
special session to be held during the International Conference on
Optimization and Decision Science – ODS2024
<https://www.airoconference.it/ods2024/>.


3. During the special session at ODS 2024, a *third committee* will
evaluate the *presentation *of each finalist thesis, awarding *3 bonus
points* to the best presentation.

*ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE WINNING THESIS*


The winning thesis will be the one with the highest overall score and will
be announced during ODS 2024.
In case of a tie, the one with the highest score net of the bonus will win.
In case of a further tie (i.e., if the first two theses in the ranking do
not obtain the presentation bonus), there will be an ex aequo, and the
prize will be divided.

*PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS*

To be able to participate, you must:

- Have discussed a doctoral thesis in Operations Research between
01/07/2023 and 30/06/2024 at an Italian university;
- Be an AIRO member for the calendar year 2024 or 2025. Having
participated in ODS 2023 or being registered to ODS 2024 grants automatic
AIRO membership.

Not being registered for ODS 2024 does not represent an exclusion criterion
from the call. Even if a finalist does *not *participate at ODS 2024,
presenting during the conference will still be mandatory. In the event of
an impossibility to attend in person, a remote presentation will be
possible. To effectively organise the session, the finalists not already
registered for ODS 2024 will be directly contacted by the AIROYoung board.


*HOW TO APPLY*

The application form must be submitted by filling in the following Google
Form
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe8am1aIo5DM1yZ1Azj7Jj914Nb4EsZAy56RKMVDIGsfUhzRw/viewform>

*Deadline to participate: May 31, 2024.*

Specifically, in addition to personal data and a contact address, anyone
wishing to apply must attach the following documents (all in PDF format):

- a copy of the* doctoral thesis*;
- a *summary *of the thesis (in English; font-size: 11pt; maximum
length: 5 pages, bibliographical references excluded);
- a copy of their *curriculum vitae* (in English; also indicate the date
of the defence of the thesis, taken place or expected by June 30, 2024);
- if any, a copy of each publication taken from the thesis;
- a *proof of the AIRO membership* for the calendar year 2024 or 2025,
such as:


1. the certificate of participation in the ODS 2023 conference (the
registration fee for the conference included the AIRO membership fee for
2024);
2. the registration receipt for the ODS 2024 conference (the
registration fee for the conference includes the AIRO membership fee for
2025);
3. the receipt of the payment made to AIRO to become a member in 2024 or
2025.


*AWARD*

Each finalist will receive a certificate. The winning person will also
receive a cash prize of €250. In case of an ex aequo, the prize will be
divided.


For more information, contact the AY board:
aydissertationaward2024@gmail.com

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