Awards and Honors


  • Student Awards INFORMS 2017

While much has changed since 1953, one thing has not: We value thinking that is both creative and innovative—and that has a real and lasting impact worldwide. 


National Academy of Engineering: nine current ORC faculty are members.
Federal Aviation Administration: Championship Award for Excellence in Aviation Education: awarded to a MIT faculty member.
The Mathematical Programming Society A. W. Tucker Prize: awarded for an outstanding paper authored by a student.

1991–Michel Goemans

IBM Herman Goldstine Postdoctoral Fellowship in Mathematical Sciences: given for research in mathematical and computer sciences

2022–Ryan Cory-Wright

2010–Dan Iancu

2009–Juan Pablo Vielma

2006–Alexandre Belloni

2005–Retsev Levi

Glover-Klingman Prize: awarded to an individual or a group for the best paper published in Networks.

2010–Patrick Jaillet and Michael Wagner

2009–Harold N. Gabow, Michel X. Goemans, Éva Tardos, and David P. Williamson

2006–Andreas S. Schulz and Nicolás E. Stier-Moses

2005–Thomas L. Magnanti and S. Raghavan

SIAM Activity Group on Optimization Prize (SIAG/OPT): awarded to the author(s) of the most outstanding paper, as determined by the selection committee, on a topic in optimization published in English in a peer-reviewed journal.

2019–Hamza Fawzi, Pablo A. Parrilo, and James Saunderson

1999–Michel X. Goemans and David P. Williamson

1996–Dimitris J. Bertsimas and Michel X. Goemans

The Frederick W. Lanchester Prize: awarded for the best contribution to operations research and the management sciences published in English.

2005–Kalyan T. Talluri and Garrett J. van Ryzin: The Theory and Practice of Revenue Management

1994–Edward H. Kaplan: Modelling and Reducing the Spread of Aids

1993–Ravindra K. Ahuja, Thomas L. Magnanti and James B. Orlin: Network Flows: Theory, Algorithms, and Applications

1976–Ralph L. Keeney and Howard Raiffa and Leonard Kleinrock: Decisions with Multiple Objectives: Preference and Value Trade Offs

1972–Richard C. Larson: Urban Police Patrol Analysis

1968–Philip M. Morse: Library Effectiveness: A Systems Approach

1965–Michel Balinski: Integer Programming: Methods, Uses, Computation

1962–Robert M. Oliver and Arych H. Samuel: Reducing Letter Delays in Post Offices

INFORMS President’s Award: recognizes, and thereby encourages, important contributions to the welfare of society by members of our profession at the local, national, or global level.

2020–Cynthia Barnhart: For “her multi-faceted and multi-disciplinary high impact activities in research, practice, education, leadership, and service.”

2019–Dimitris Bertsimas: For “his sustained mulit-dementional high-impact scholarship that has lead to important applications, entrepreneaurial activity, for eductating generations of OR scholars, for the educational materials that have benefited generations of students of OR and analytics, and for opening up new fields of enquiry that have benefited society.”

2010–Jonathan P. Caulkins: For “his pioneering work in developing policies to fight the national epidemic of drug abuse, prevent crime, reduce violence, address the sad dilemma of juvenile delinquency, and balance the need for both law enforcement and prevention in treating serious social ills

2008–Margaret Brandeau: For “her pioneering research on public health policy models, including those for HIV and drug abuse prevention and treatment, and for translating her results into improved U.S. and international health policies

2003–Richard C. Larson: For “his contributions to solving a wide-range of important urban problems

2002–Edward Kaplan: For “his work on using the methods of OR/MS to address some of the most pressing issues in public health and medicine of our time

1999–Leonard Kleinrock: For “his wide-ranging and fundamental contributions to the birth and development of the Internet, and thereby to the global welfare of society

1998–Jan M. Chaiken: For “his effective and important contributions to the public interest

1996–Arnold I. Barnett: For “deep commitment to addressing societal problems and matters involving “threats to life and limb”

The Franz Edelman Award: recognizes and rewards outstanding examples of management science and operations research practice in the world.

2021–(Finalist) Dimitris Bertsimas and Gina Mourtzinou

2019–(Finalist) Dimitris Bertsimas, Arthur Delarue, and Sebastien Martin 

2013–(Finalist) Itai Ashlagi, David Gamarnik, and Ross Anderson

2009–(Finalist) Zara: Miguel Diaz, Jose Manuel Corredoira, Javier Garcia, Marcos Montes, José Antonio Ramos, Juan Correa, Jérémie Gallien, Felipe Caro

2003–(Second Place) Keith A. Ware, Alysia M. Wilson, Andrew P. Armacost and Cynthia Barnhart

1997–(Honorable Mention) Hewlett Packard: Mitchell Burman

1992–(1st Prize) New Haven Health Department, AIDS Division: Edward H. Kaplan and Elaine O’Keefe

1992–(Honorable Mention) City of New York: Michael F. Cahn, Michael P. Jacobson, Robert N. Kaye, Katherine N. Lapp, Richard C. Larson, Judge Milton H. Mollen, and Martin C. Shell

1991–(1st Prize) American Airlines Decision Technologies: Ross M. Darrow, John F. Leimkuhler, John R. Samuel, and Barry C. Smith

1985–(1st Prize) Weyerhaeuser Company: Uli H. Chi, and Mark R. Lembersky

1983–(1st Prize) Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: Walter J. Bell, Louis M. Dalberto, Marshall L. Fisher, Arnold J. Greenfield, R. Jaikumar, Pradeep Kedia, Robert G. Mack, and Paul J. Putzman

1980–(Honorable Mention) Xerox Corporation: Shmuel S. Oren, Michael H. Rothkopf, Richard D. Smallwood

1977–(Honorable Mention) United Airlines: William K. Fudge, Leonard M. Lodish

1972–(Honorable Mention) Mexico City: Ralph L. Keeney

The INFORMS Fellow: recognizes members who have made significant contributions to the advancement of operations research and the management sciences, such contributions including service to the professional field and to INFORMS.

2019-Louis Anthony Cox Jr.

2019-Chung-Piaw Teo

2018-Robert Freund

2016-Georgia Perakis

2015–Pitu Mirchandani

2013–Patrick Jaillet

2011–Cynthia Barnhart

2011–David E. Bell

2010–Glen Urban

2007–Dimitris Bertsimas and John N. Tsitsiklis

2006–John R. Hauser, James B. Orlin and David Simchi-Levi

2005–Stephen C. Graves and Edward H. Kaplan

2004–Bruce L. Golden

2004–Amedeo R. Odoni

2003–Arnold I. Barnett and Edward A. Silver

2002–Thomas M. Cook, Martin Ernst, Marshall Fisher, H. Newton Garber, Ralph Keeney, Leonard Kleinrock, Richard Larson, John D. C. Little, Thomas L. Magnanti, Robert M. Oliver, Stephen M. Pollock, Michael Rothkopf and James Tien

The INFORMS Erlang Award: given for outstanding contribution to the field of applied probability by an applied probabilist

2010–Devavrat Shah

2004–David Garmarnik

1996–Dimitris Bertsimas

The George E. Kimball Medal: awarded for recognition of distinguished service to the Institute and to the profession of operations research and the management sciences.

2019–Edward H. Kaplan

2018–Bruce L. Golden

2002–Craig W. Kirkwood and Richard C. Larson

2001–H. Newton Garber and Stephen M. Pollock

1997–Michael H. Rothkopf

1994–Thomas L. Magnanti

1987–John D. C. Little

1977–Martin Ernst

1974–Philip M. Morse

The Philip McCord Morse Lectureship Award: awarded in honor of Philip McCord Morse in recognition of his pioneer contribution to the field of operations research and the management sciences.

2012-2014–Dimitris Bertsimas

2010-2012–Edward Kaplan

2006-2008–Marshall Fisher

1997-1999–Richard C. Larson, MIT

1993-1995–Ralph Keeney

1988-1990–John D. C. Little, MIT

The George B. Dantzig Dissertation Award: awarded for the best dissertation in any area of operations research and the management sciences that is innovative and relevant to practice.

2020–(Honorable Mention) Jean Pauphilet: Algorithmic Advancements in Discrete Optimization: Applications to Machine Learning and Healthcare Operations

2019–(1st Prize) Sebastien Martin,: The Price of Interpretability: Optimal Explanations of Linear Models

2013–(1st Prize) Jason Acimovic: Lowering Outbound Shipping Costs in an Online Retail Environment by Making Better Fulfillment and Replenishment Decisions

2012–(3rd Prize) Nikolaos K. Trichakis: Fairness in Operations: From Theory to Practice

2011–(2nd Prize) Andy Sun: Advances in Electric Power Systems: Robustness, Adaptability, and Fairness

2007–(1st Prize) Timothy Chan: The Management of Uncertainties in Radiation Treatments of Lung Tumors

2001–(1st Prize) Andrew Armacost: Composite Variable Formulation For Express Shipment Service Network Design

1999–(Honorable Mention) William Hall: Efficient Capacity Allocation in a Collaborative Air Transportation System

1997–(Second Prize) Sarah Stock Patterson: Development and Application of Mathematical Programming Techniques for Scheduling Large Scale Air Transportation Systems

1997–(Honorable Mention) Stefanos Zenios

1996–(1st Prize) S. Raghavan: Formulations and Algorithms for Network Design Problems with Connectivity Requirements

INFORMS Expository Writing Award: honors an operations researcher/management scientist whose publications demonstrate a consistently high standard of expository writing.

2010–Edward Kaplan

2009–Dimitri P. Bertsekas

2005–Lawrence M. Wein

2002–Ralph Keeney and Howard Raiffa

2001–Arnold Barnett

2000–John D.C. Little

INFORM-ED Case and Teaching Materials Competition: to encourage the creation, dissemination, and classroom use of new cases in operations research and the management sciences.

2009–(1st Prize) Susan Martonosi, Harvey Mudd College

2005–(1st Prize) Stephen C. Graves, MIT and John C.W., Parsons

WORMS Award for the Advancement of Women in OR/MS: recognizes a person who has contributed significantly to the advancement and recognition of women in the field of Operations Research and the Management Sciences (OR/MS).

2005–Cynthia Barnhart

INFORMS Koopman Prize: awarded for the outstanding publication in military operations research.

2020–David Simchi-Levi, Nikos Trichakis and Peter Yun Zhang

2018–Rajan Batta, Yan Xia and Rakesh Nagi

2008–James Orlin

2005–Edward H. Kaplan

2002–Edward H. Kaplan, David L. Craft and Lawrence M. Wein

INFORMS Pierskalla Best Paper Award: recognizes research excellence in the field of health care management science.

2020–Dimitris BertsimasLeonard BoussiouxRyan Cory-WrightArthur DelarueVassilis DigalakisAlexandre JacquillatDriss Lahlou KitaneGalit LukinMichael Linghzi LiLuca MingardiAgni OrfanoudakiTheodore PapalexopoulosIvan PaskovOmar Skali LamiHamza Tazi BouardiKimberly Villalobos CarballoHolly WibergCynthia Zeng, Omid Nohadani and Bartolomeo Stellano

2019–Arielle Anderer, Hamsa Bastani, and John Silberholz

2019–(Finalist) Rongqing Han, Vishal Gupta, Song-Hee Kim, and Hyung Paek

2013–Dimitris Bertsimas, Allison O’Hair, Steve Relyea, and John Silberholz

2007–Chris Lee and Stefanos Zenios

2006–Hamed Mamani and David Simchi-Levi

INFORMS MSOM Distinguished Service Award: recognizes individuals whose distinguished service to MSOM has helped to advance significantly the goals and objectives of the Section.

2012–Stephen Graves

2006–Garrett J. van Ryzin

2005–Gabriel Bitran

INFORMS Prize for the Teaching of the OR/MS Practice: recognizes a teacher who has succeeded in helping his or her students to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to be effective practitioners of operations research or the management sciences.

2020–Susan Martonosi

2003–Bruce L. Golden

1998–Ronald A. Howard

Robert Herman Lifetime Achievement Award: awarded to an individual who throughout his or her professional career has made fundamental and sustained contributions to transportation science and logistics, and has influenced the field through her or his writ

2019–Bruce L. Golden

2001–Amedeo R. Odoni

The George Nicholson Student Paper Competition: awarded for outstanding papers in the field of operations research and the management sciences written by a student.

2020–(First Place) Ryan Cory-Wright and Jean Pauphilet: Mixed-Projection Conic Optimization: A New Paradigm for Modeling Rank Constraints

2018–(Finalist) Lennart Baardman: Learning Optimal Advertising Portfolios with Periodic Budgets

2016–(Finalist) Ali Aouad: Greedy-Like Algorithms for Dynamic Assortment Optimization under Multinomial Logit Preferences

2016–(Finalist) Rajan Udwani: Robust Monotone Submodular Function Maximization

2015–(Finalist) Wang-Chi Cheung: Sampling-Based Approximation Schemes for Capacitated Stochastic Inventory Control Models

2013–(Finalist) Vishal Gupta and Nathan Kallus: Robust Optimization in Data Rich Environments

2012–(Finalist) Chaithanya Bandi and Nataly Youssef: Robust Queueing Theory

2012–(Finalist) Yuan Zhong: Optimal Queue-size Scaling in Switched Networks

2011–(Second Place) Yehua Wei: Understanding the Performance of the Long Chain and Sparse Designs in Process Flexibility

2011–(Honorable Mention) Juliane Dunkel: The Gomory-Chvátal Closure of a Non-Rational Polytope is a Rational Polytope

2010–(Finalist) David Goldberg: On the Rate of Convergence to Stationarity of the M/M/N Queue in the Halfin-Whitt Regime

2009–(First Place) Cong Shi: Approximation Algorithms for the Stochastic Lot-sizing Problem

2009–(Finalist) Ye Lu: A Price-Dependent Demand Substitution Rule and Its Applications

2009–(Finalist) Theophane Weber: Random Decision Networks: Correlation Decay and Decentralized Optimization

2008–(Finalist) Dmitriy Katz-Rogozhnikov: On Deciding Stability of Multiclass Queueing Networks under Buffer Priority Scheduling Policies

2008–(Finalist) Tri-Dung Nguyen: Robust Covariance Estimation and Outlier Detection Using Semidefinite Programming: The Robust Ranking Problems with an Application in Portfolio Optimization

2007–(First Place) Nelson Uhan: Encouraging Cooperation in Sharing Supermodular Costs

2007–(Honorable Mention) Timothy Chan: The Management of Uncertainties in Radiation Treatments of Lung Tumors

2006–(Second Place) Alexandre Belloni: On the Computational Complexity of MCMC-based Estimators in Large Samples

2006–(Honorable Mention) Stephen Shum: Coordinating Efforts of Multiple Retailers in a Decentralized Supply Chain

2004–(Second Place) Melvyn Sim: Robust Conic Optimization

2003–(Second Place) Sanne de Boer: Airline Revenue Management Under Imperfect Market Segmentation

2003–(Honorable Mention) Victor Martinez de Albeniz: A Portfolio Approach to Procurement Contracts

2002–(Second Place) Melvyn Sim: Robust Discrete Optimization

2002–(Honorable Mention) Xin Chen: Coordinating Inventory Control and Pricing Strategies with Random Demand and Fixed Ordering Cost

2001–(1st Prize) Alp Muharremoglu: Echelon Base Stock Policies in Uncapacitated Serial Inventory Systems

2000–(Second Place) Marina Epelman: Measures of Conditioning and Pre-Conditioners for Conic Linear Systems

2000–(Honorable Mention) Jay Sethuraman: From Fluid Relaxations to Practical Algorithms for Job Shop Scheduling

1997–(First Place) Stefanos Zenios: Dynamic Allocation of Kidneys to Patients on the Transplant Waiting List

1996–(Second Place) Georgia Mourtzinou: Transient Distributional Little’s Law and Their Applications

1991–(Second Place) Kalyan T. Talluri: Network Design on the Plane with Connectivity Requirements

1990–(Second Place) Michel Goemans: Survivable Networks and the Parsimonious Property

1989–(First Place) Dimitris J. Bertsimas: A Priori Optimization

1985–(Second Place) Paul Tseng: The Relaxation Method for a Special Class of Linear Programming Problems

The INFORMS Transportation Science Best Paper Award: given for an outstanding paper in the field of transportation science and logistics.

2013–Guglielmo Lulli, Dimitris Bertsimas, and Amedeo R. Odoni: ” An Integer Optimization Approach to Large-Scale Air Traffic Flow Management “

2010–(Honorable Mention) James Orlin, Massachusetts Institute of Technology with Balac Vaidyanathan and Ravi K. Ahuja: ” The Locomotive Routing Problem “

2008–Rolf H. Mohring, Technische Universitat Berlin, Andreas S. Schulz, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Nicolas E. Stier Moses, Columbia University: “System-Optimal Routing of Traffic Flows with User Constraints in Networks with Congestion”

2007–(Honorable Mention) Georgia Perakis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Guillaume Roels, University of California at Los Angeles: “An Analytical Model for Traffic Delays and the Dynamic User Equilibrium Problem”

2003–Andrew Armacost, U.S. Air Force Academy, Cynthia Barnhart, MIT and K.A. Ware, UPS: “Airlines Composite Variable Formulations for Express Shipment Service Network Design”

2002–Jose Rafael Correa, MIT and Roberto Cominetti, Universidad de Chile: “Common-Lines and Passenger Assignment in Congested Transit Networks”

The INFORMS Aviation Applications Dissertation Prize: is awarded to the best dissertation in any area related to aviation OR (air traffic management OR and airline OR).

2018–(First Place) Chiwei Yan: “Airline Scheduling and Air Traffic Control: Incorporating Uncertainty and Passenger and Airline Preferences”

2011–(First Place) Douglas Fearing: “The Case for Coordination: Equity, Efficiency, and Passenger Impacts in Air Traffic Flow Management”

2009–(Honorable Mention) Pavithra Harsha: “Mitigating Airport Congestion: Market Mechanisms and Airline Response Models”

2003–(Honorable Mention) Amy Mainville Cohn: “Composite-Variable Modeling for Large-Scale Problems in Transportation and Logistics”

2003–(Honorable Mention) Sanne de Boer: “Advances in Airline Revenue Management and Pricing”

The INFORMS Aviation Student Paper Prize: is awarded to the author of the best paper submitted by a full-time student in the area of aviation applications.

1998–Sarah Stock Patterson: The Air Traffic Flow Management Problem with Enroute Capacities

INFORMS Transportation Science & Logistics Society Dissertation Prize: awarded for best dissertations in the transportation science and logistics area.

2019–(1st Place) Sebastien Martin“The Price of Interpretability: Optimal Explanations of Linear Models”

2018–(Honorable Mention) Chiwei Yan: “Airline scheduling and air traffic control: incorporating uncertainty and passenger and airline preferences”

2015–(1st Place) Alexandre Jacquillat: “Integrated Allocation and Utilization of Airport Capacity to Mitigate Air Traffic Congestion”

2009–(Honorable Mention) Pavithra Harsha: “Mitigating Airport Congestion: Market Mechanisms and Airline Response Models”

2001–(Honorable Mention) Andrew Armacost: Composite Variable Formulations for Express Shipment Service Network Design

1999–(Honorable Mention) William Hall

1997–(1st Place) Sarah Stock-Patterson: Dynamic Flow Management Problems in Air Transportation

1996–(Honorable Mention) Kerry Malone

1988–(1st Prize) Dimitris Bertsimas: Probabilistic Combinatorial Optimization Problems

1985–(1st Prize) Patrick Jaillet: Probabilistic Traveling Salesman Problem

1978–(1st Prize) Harilaos Psaraftis: Dynamic Programming Algorithms for Sequencing and Routing Problems in Transportation

1976–(Honorable Mention) Bruce Golden

INFORMS MSOM Student Paper Competition: awards are given annually for papers judged to be the best in the field of Operations Management.

2019—(1st Prize) Milashini Nambiar, David Simchi-Levi and He Wang: Dynamic Learning and Pricing with Model Misspecification

2014—(Finalist) Yaron Shaposhnik: Scheduling with Testing

2010—(1st Prize) Srikanth Jagabathula: A New Approach to Modeling Choice

2007–(Honorable Mention) Pamela Pen-Erh Pei: Towards a Unified Theory of Procurement Contract Design: Production Flexibility, Spot Market Trading and the Structure of Options Contracts

2005–(Second Place) Guillaume Roels: The Price of Information: Inventory Management with Limited Information About Demand

2005–(Second Place) Ping Josephine Xu: The Benefits of Re-Evaluating the Real-Time Fulfillment Decisions

2003–(Honorable Mention) Victor Martinez de Albeniz: A Portfolio Approach to Procurement Contracts

2002–(Second Place) Xin Chen: Coordinating Inventory Control Pricing Strategies with Random Demand and Fixed Ordering Cost

2000–(1st Prize) Jeremie Gallien: Design and Analysis of a Smart Market for Industrial Procurement

1999–(1st Prize) L. Beril Toktay: Analysis of a Production Inventory System with Stationary Deman and Forecast Updates

1998–(Second Place) Jeremie Gallien

1996–(1st Prize) Stefanos A. Zenios

INFORMS Computing Society (ICS) Prize

2017-(1st Prize) Juan Pablo Vielma, Shabbir Ahmed, and George Nemhauser

2016-(1st Prize) Iain Dunning, Joey Huchette, and Miles Lubin

2012-(1st Prize) Pablo ParriloJohn Tsitsiklis, A. A. Ahmadi, and A. Olshevsky

2007-(1st Prize) James Orlin, Janos Csirik, David S. Johnson, Claire Kenyon, Peter Shor, and Richard Weber

2005-(1st Prize) Zhiwei Fu, Bruce L. Golden, Shreevardhan Lele, S. Raghavan, Edward A. Wasil

1997-(1st Prize) Dimitri Bertsekas and John Tsitsiklis