Rules Governing the EARLY CAREER AWARD (ECA)
Sponsored by the INFORMS Simulation Society (I-SIM)
Approved by the Membership on December 12, 2023
1. Purpose and Requirements of the Award. To recognize early-career researchers for their outstanding contributions to the field of computer simulation. Contributions may include, but are not limited to, papers (published or accepted for publication), books, monographs, software, and significant service contributions that have advanced the field. They must feature original ideas and methods and indicate a clear trajectory to generate a significant impact in the field.
2. Name of the Award. The award is named the “Early Career Award” (hereafter simply called the award).
3. Presentation and Form of the Award. The award is given every two yearson even years, to at most two persons at a time. Candidates can be nominated more than once in different years, but can receive the award only once. Candidates must be members of I-Sim at the time of their nomination and must have received their first PhD or equivalent degree within the 9 previous years from the year of the contest. That is, for the award given in year Y, the degree must have been received in year Y-9 or after. The award shall be presented at a major professional meeting sponsored by I-Sim and shall consist of the following items to be funded by the Society:
(i) a plaque inscribed with the name of the award, the name of the recipient, the name of the sponsoring organization, and the year in which the award is presented;
(ii) a cash prize to be determined by the membership of the INFORMS Simulation Society (currently $500);
4. Call for Nominations. In the first quarter of each calendar year that the award is potentially given, the chair of the award selection committee shall prepare a call for nominations for the current year's award and place the call for nominations in the I-Sim Newsletter, the I-Sim home page on the Internet, and any other media that are deemed to be appropriate for publicizing the call for nominations.
5. Submission of Nominations. Nominations for the award can be made by any member of the I-Sim society and should be sent by email to the chair of the award selection committee no later than September 1 of the year in which the nominee is to be considered. Nominations may not be made anonymously. The burden of offering evidence of merit falls on the nominator. Each nomination package should include (in .pdf file format):
(i) Nominator’s full name and contact information (email and/or phone number)
(ii) a two-page (maximum) letter of support that describes the contributions for which the nominee is believed to deserve this award and justifies why these contributions are so deserving;
(iii) a complete up-to-date curriculum vitae of the nominee with the nominee’s contact email and/or phone number
6. Composition of the Award Selection Committee. The selection committee will be formed by three members: one senior I-Sim member who will act as the committee chair, one mid-career I-Sim member, and one past ECA awardee (except for the inaugural committee). At the end of a year where the award is given, the current committee will select I-Sim members who are willing to serve on the next committee and recommend them to the president of I-Sim. The members of the new selection committee are appointed by the president of I-Sim. It is possible to change all three committee members for the next contest, and it is also allowed to keep one or two members of the previous committee. A good strategy might be to replace the previous awardee member by a new awardee, and keep one of the two other members to maintain a form of continuity in the process, but this is not a strict rule. The senior and mid-career members should be distinguished professionals in the field of simulation.
7. Operation of the Committee. Soon after the September 1 deadline, the committee will examine the nominations received for the award for the current contest, and select at most two winners. The committee may opt to give two awards, or only one, or none. The award selection committee shall determine the winner(s) by majority vote in two rounds. In the first round, each member has one vote and the committee selects 0 or 1 candidate. If a candidate is selected in the first round, then the selected candidate is confirmed as a winner and removed from further contention, and then there is a second round of votes in which the committee selects again 0 or 1 candidate. If a candidate is selected in the second round then that candidate is also confirmed as a winner. All oral and written communications regarding nominations or deliberations of the award selection committee shall remain strictly confidential, including the outcome of the votes, and the names of all nominators, endorsers, and nominees.
After the selection process is completed, the chair of the committee informs the president of I-Sim, who informs in turns the award winners. The chair of the award selection committee shall have full responsibility for obtaining and presenting the award and for publicizing the presentation of the award. After the award has been announced and presented, timely articles on the presentation of the award shall be placed in the I-Sim Newsletter, on the I-Sim home page on the Internet, and any other media that are deemed appropriate for announcing the winner of the award.
8. Nonperformance of the Award Selection Committee. The president of I-Sim may dissolve the award selection committee at any time for cause. Such action may be protested by the chair of the award selection committee, in which case the decision to dissolve the award selection committee shall be submitted to a vote of the I-Sim membership. If the award selection committee is dissolved, then the president of I-Sim shall appoint another award selection committee in accordance with the rules given above. The new award selection committee shall have the full powers of the former award selection committee.
9. Varia. If a cash donation for the award is secured for long enough, I-Sim may vote to name the award in honor of a particular individual.