Best Dissertation Proposal Competition

2025 Winner(s)

Winning material: Workplace segregation and the structure of American racial earnings inequality

Purpose of the Award

This competition is one of the most prestigious available to doctoral students studying organizations. Eight finalists will be chosen, based on reviews by experienced referees. Finalists will present their dissertation proposals in a workshop on at the INFORMS Annual Meeting During the workshop, finalists will receive detailed feedback from a panel of respected organizational scholars who act as final judges for the competition. The all-day workshop also provides a wonderful opportunity to interact with a small group of future colleagues. At the workshop, the judges will select a winner and a runner-up. 

Application Process

View information about eligibility, procedures and deadlines
Click here for more information

Past Awardees

2025
Winner(s)
Clem Aeppli , Harvard University
Runner-Up
Wajeeha Ahmad, Stanford University
Hongyuan Xia, Cornell University
Finalist
Ilana Brody , University of California, Los Angeles
Meenal Banga , University of Texas at Austin
Victoria Zhang , Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Laura Lam, University of Toronto
Jessica Reif, Duke University
2024
Winner(s)
Susie Choe , University of Michigan, Ross School of Business
Runner-Up
Nick Otis , UC Berkeley, Haas School of Business
Finalist
Cynthia Feng , HEC Paris
Farzam Boroomand , University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management
Milton (Ming) Wang , Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management
Oguz Gencay , University of Maryland, Robert H. Smith School of Business
Shun Yiu , University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School
Piyush Gulati, INSEAD
2023
Winner(s)
Matteo Tranchero , UC Berkeley
Runner-Up
Chelsea Lide, Stanford University
Finalist
Daphné Baldassari , University of Toronto
Dilan Eren , Boston University
Eileen Suh , Boston University
James Mellody , Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Jean Oh , Columbia Business School
Solomiya Draga , University of Toronto
2022
Winner(s)
Michael Park, University of Minnesota

Runner-Up
Shirley Tang, Washington University in St Louis
Finalist
Siyin Chen, University of Toronto
Sarah Gordon, University of Michigan
William Reuben Hurst, University of Michigan
Ekin Ilseven, INSEAD
Sukhun Kang, London Business School
Amisha Miller, Boston University
2021
Winner(s)
Rebecca Ponce De Leon, Duke University
Runner-Up
Anna McKean, Northwestern University
Daniel Wilde, University of Pennsylvania
Finalist
Giselle Antoine, University of Washington
Farnaz Ghaedipour, McMaster University
Melanie Prengler, Texas A&M University
Kimberly Rocheville, Boston College
Bryan Spencer, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management
2020
Winner(s)
Summer Jackson, MIT Sloan School of Management
Runner-Up
Yu Tse Heng, University of Washington, Foster School of Business
Finalist
Yu Tse Heng, University of Washington, Foster School of Business
Audrey Holm, Boston University, Questrom School of Business
Jiwon Hwang, Columbia University, Columbia Business School
Rebecca Karp, Boston University, Questrom School of Business
Seojin Kim, University of Maryland, Robert H. Smith School of Business
Karren Knowlton, University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School
Gauri Subramani, University of California Berkeley, Haas School of Business
2019
Winner(s)
Saerom Lee, University of Michigan, Ross School of Business
Runner-Up
Angelica Leigh, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Kenan-Flagler Business School
Finalist
Brittany Bond, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management
Anjier Chen
Travis Howell, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Kenan-Flagler Business School
Hyeun Lee, University of Maryland, Robert H. Smith School of Business
Hannah Weisman, London School of Economics and Political Science
Hugh Xiaolong Wu, Stanford University, Stanford Graduate School of Business
2018
First Place
Basima Tewfik, Wharton School
Second Place
Hyo Kang, Haas School of Busines
Rebecca Paluch, Cornell University
Finalist
Trey Cummings, Olin School of Business
Stefan Dimitriadis, Harvard Business School
John Eklund, Wharton School
Britta Glennon, Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy
Michael Lee, Harvard Business School
2017
Winner(s)
Pedro Aceves, University of Chicago, Sociology
Runner-Up
Evelyn Zhang, Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper Business School
2016
Winner(s)
Tristan Botelho, MIT, Sloan School of Management
Runner-Up
Jeffrey Thomas, New York University
Finalist
David Clough, INSEAD
Priyanka Dwivedi, Pennsylvania State University
Sora Jun, Stanford University
Michael Mauskapf, Northwestern University
Yongzhi Wang, University of Southern California
Sarah Wittman, INSEAD
2015
Winner(s)
Julia DiBenigno, MIT, Sloan School of Management
Finalist
Pooria Assadi, Simon Fraser University
Feng Bai, University of British Columbia, Sauder School of Business
Santiago Campero, MIT, Sloan School of Business
Jillian Chown, Toronto, Rotman School of Management
Derek Harmon, University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business
Tiffany Johnson, Penn State, Smeal College of Business
Amer Madi, INSEAD
François Neville, Georgia State, Robinson College of Business
2014
First Place
Mabel Abraham, MIT, Sloan School of Management
Runner-Up
Trevor Young-Hyman, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Finalist
Abhinav Gupta, Pennsylvania State University
Matthew Karlesky, University of Michigan
Jacqueline Kirtley, Boston University
Douglas Lepisto, Boston College
McKenzie Rees, University of Utah
Eunhee Sohn, MIT
2013
First Place
Sujin Jang, Harvard Business School
Runner-Up
Chad Murphy, Pennsylvania State University

Finalist
Jin-Hyun Bae, New York University
Brad Fulton, Duke University
Heeyon Kim, University of Michigan
KiYoung Lee, University of Minnesota
Matthew Lee, Harvard Business School
Jean-Nicolas Reyt, Paris Dauphine University/New York University
2012
First Place
Melissa A. Valentine, Harvard University
Finalist
Sean R. Martin, Cornell University
Mary-Hunter McDonnell, Northwestern University
Jay O’Toole, University of Wisconsin
Ryan L. Raffaelli, Boston College
Elizabeth D. Rouse, Boston College
Andrew K. Schnackenberg, Case Western Reserve University
Melissa A. Valentine, Harvard University
Shellwyn L. Weston, New York University
2011
First Place
Jessica Kennedy, University of California, Berkeley
Second Place
Erin Scott, Washington University in St. Louis
Finalist
Michael Bikard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Andreea Gorbatai, Harvard University
Shoko Kato, Syracuse University
Kenji Klein, University of California, Irvine
Daniel Smith, Georgia Institute of Technology
Jeffrey Treem, Northwestern University
2010
First Place
Jennifer Petriglieri, INSEAD
Second Place
Mary Kate Stimmler, University of California, Berkeley
Finalist
Adam Cobb, University of Michigan
Flannery Garnett, University of Michigan
Amol Joshi, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
Tomasz Obloj, INSEAD
Erin Reid, Harvard Business School
Adina Sterling, Emory University
2009
First Place
Renee Rottner, University of California-Irvine
Runner-Up
Jason Greenberg, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Finalist
N. Andrew Cohen, University of Pennsylvania
Shon Hiatt, Cornell University
Ana Elisa Iglesias, Georgia State University
Shimul Melwani, University of Pennsylvania
Otilia Obodaru, INSEAD
Lori Qingyuan Yue, Columbia University
2008
First Place
H. Colleen Stuart, University of Toronto
Second Place
Marlys K. Christianson, University of Michigan
Finalist
Catherine Anderson, University of Maryland
Colin Fisher, Harvard University
Spencer Harrison, Arizona State University
Benjamin Herndon, University of Texas - Austin
Justin I. Miller, NYU - Stern
Rachael Leah Shwom, Michigan State
2007
First Place
Heidi Gardner, London Business School
Runner-Up
J.P. Eggers, University of Pennsylvania
Finalist
Marla Baskerville, Tulane University
Y. Sekou Bermiss, Northwestern University
Denisa Mindruta, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
Christopher Rider, University of California at Berkeley
Mario Schijven, Tilburg University
Karl Wennberg, Stockholm School of Economics
2006
First Place
Celia Moore, University of Toronto
Second Place
Michael Ashworth, Carnegie-Mellon University
Finalist
Benjamin Cole, University of Michigan
Laura Erskine, University of Southern California
Yan Gong, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Ben Hallen, Stanford University
Mike Pfarrer, University of Maryland
Brian Wu, University of Pennsylvania
2005
First Place
Susan Perkins, New York University
Second Place
Donald A. Lange, University of Texas at Austin
Sharon James Wade, University of Minnesota
Finalist
Jared D. Harris, University of Minnesota
Arik Lifschitz, Columbia University
Ilya Okhmatovskiy, University of Southern California
Ming Piao, Northwestern University
Kim-Chi Wakefield Trinh, Duke University
2004
First Place
Micki Eisenman, Columbia University
Kate Kellogg, Sloan School of Management, MIT
Second Place
Govert Vroom, INSEAD
Finalist
Michel Anteby, Stern School of Business, New York University
Scott Johnson, Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota
June-Young Kim, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Christopher Marquis, University of Michigan
Thomas Moliterno, University of California, Irvine
2003
First Place
Minyuan Zhao, New York University
Second Place
Gina Dokko, University of Pennsylvania
Finalist
Gino Cattani, University of Pennsylvania
Mary Dunn, Boston College
Sarah Kaplan, MIT
Taco H. Reus, Florida State University
Nina Shah, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Andrew V. Shipilov, University of Toronto
Tim Simcoe, University of California, Berkeley
2002
First Place
Anne Parmigiani, University of Michigan
Second Place
Myeong-Gu Seo, Boston College
Finalist
Ben Bryant, London Business School
Dania A. Dialdin, Northwestern University
Seok-Woo Kwon, University of Southern California
Klaus Weber, University of Michigan
Beiging (Emery) Yao, University of Pittsburgh
Sai Yayavaram, University of Texas - Austin
2001
First Place
Ann Terlaak, University of California - Santa Barbara
Second Place
Alexandra Kalev, Princeton University
Robert Salomon, NYU
Finalist
Michael DeVaughn
Samina Z. Karim
Karen Page
Patrick L. Schultz
Charles Williams
2000
First Place
Daniel Byrd, University of Michigan
Second Place
Phanish Puranum, Wharton
Markus Vodesek, University of Michigan
1999
First Place
Jay Kim, University of Wisconsin
Second Place
Galit Ailon-Souday, Tel Aviv University
Riitta Katila, University of Texas
1998
First Place
Lydia Bigelow, University of California-Berkeley
Second Place
Shawn Marie Lofstrom, University of Minnesota
Andreas Schwab, University of Wisconsin
Finalist
Joseph Broschak, University of Texas at Austin
Charles Dhanaraj, University of Western Ontario
Michael Lenox, MIT
Marvin Washington, Northwestern University
Mary Zellmer-Bruhn, University of Wisconsin
1997
First Place
Timothy Pollock, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Second Place
Deborah Balser, Cornell University
Pek-Hooi Soh, MIT
1996
First Place
Nancy Staudenmayer, MIT
Second Place
Constance James, UCLA
1995
First Place
Gautam Ahuja, University of Michigan
Second Place
Anne Cummings, University of Illinois
Tammy Madsen, UCLA
1994
First Place
Mary Tripsas, MIT
Second Place
Anne Marie Knott, UCLA
1993
First Place
Eric Darr, Carnegie Mellon University
Second Place
Tina Diekmann, Northwestern University
1992
First Place
Mark Suchman, Stanford University
Second Place
Jeff Dyer, UCLA
1991
First Place
Pam Haunschild, Carnegie Mellon University
Second Place
Brian Uzzi, SUNY Stonybrook and Northwestern University