Dear colleagues and friends,
The Data Analytics & Information Systems (DAIS) Division of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineering (IISE) announces the DAIS Track Best Student Paper Award to recognize the excellence of its student members. Four finalists will be selected to make oral presentations at the 2026 IISE Annual Conference from May 16-19, 2026. All finalists will receive an award certificate. The Best Student Paper Award will be presented at the town hall meeting of the DAIS Track during the 2026 IISE Annual Conference & Expo in Arlington, TX.
Eligibility Requirements
• The award nominee must be a student member of IISE and the DAIS division.
• Moreover, a formal, signed statement by the student's advisor should be submitted along with the paper affirming that the majority of the original results presented in the paper were contributed by the student.
• The paper must present original research results and CANNOT be accepted for publication elsewhere at the time of submission.
• The submitted paper MUST follow the paper formatting guidelines and requirements of IISE conference proceedings.
• Previous finalists who wish to compete again should submit an entirely different paper. However, past winners are not eligible for the competition as the first author.
• The finalists will be announced before the conference and will present their papers in the session of the DAIS Best Student Paper Competition at the 2026 IISE Annual Conference & Expo.
• Papers considered for this competition MAY NOT be simultaneously submitted to other competitions at the 2026 IISE Annual Conference & Expo.
Application/Submission Process
• Paper format: follow the paper formatting guidelines and requirements of IISE conference proceedings. The submitted papers must follow the format or will be returned without review.
• Submission: To enter, please submit one blinded and one unblinded version of the paper and a formal signed statement by the student's advisor, all in electronic format (PDF files ONLY), with subject "DAIS Best Student Paper Competition" to the contest coordinators: Hairong Wang, Jobish Vallikavungal Devassia, Yan Li, no later than January 18, 2026 (conference paper submission deadline). Late or incomplete submissions will not be eligible.
• If you have any questions, please send an email (with subject "DAIS Best Student Paper Competition 2026") to the coordinators.
Evaluation Process
Each eligible paper will be reviewed by two to three external referees, each of whom will assign a numerical score using the following five criteria. For each criterion, an integer score between 1 and 5, with 5 being the highest rating, will be assigned.
• Originality
• Depth and completeness of the work
• Significance
• Organization and quality of writing
• Relevance to DAIS (importance of the problem and its impact on the practice of DAIS)
Important Notes
• Papers submitted for this competition will NOT be published in the IISE conference proceedings.
• IISE and the DAIS division do NOT own the copyrights of the papers submitted for this competition.
Deadlines
• Full paper submissions: January 18, 2026
• Notifications to Finalists: February 27, 2026
• Speaker Registration: March 8, 2026
Recognition Process
• The first, second, and third-place winners will receive a certificate provided by IISE and will be recognized at the DAIS division town hall meeting.
• The first, second, and third-place winners will be acknowledged in the DAIS Division newsletter.
• If the award is sponsored, then it needs to follow the IISE policies and procedures for that process.
Sincerely,
DAIS Best Student Paper Competition Committee Chairs
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Yan Li
Texas A&M University
College Station TX
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