The Award for the Advancement of Women in OR/MS celebrates and recognizes individual(s) who have contributed significantly to the advancement and recognition of women in the field of Operations Research and the Management Sciences (OR/MS). Each nominee will be considered based on their history of successfully promoting the professional development, success, and recognition of women in OR/MS. Nominees can have made contributions in multiple ways, such as primarily at their own institutions, through involvement in professional organizations, etc.
Examples of activities to be considered include, but are not limited to, the following: personal commitment and/or leadership with respect to increased hiring, retention, advancement, and recognition of women (students and faculty) in academia, industry, or government; leadership in encouraging, sponsoring, and/or developing professional training/development programs for women in OR/MS; creating an environment that supports women's full participation and advancement in the field of OR/MS, possibly through mentoring, leadership, financial support, and/or personal investment of time.
Application process
Nominations should include:
- Nominee's name, affiliation, address, telephone, and e-mail;
- A short (250-500 words) description of the nominee's overall contribution to the advancement of the careers of women in OR/MS;
- Description(s) of specific activities, programs, leadership;
- Statements of support from women in OR/MS and/or from organizations which observed or benefited from the nominee's activities;
- The nominee's resume and other items as appropriate.
The selection committee will also consider prior nominations. If you would like to supplement or refresh a prior nomination, we encourage you to do so.
All nominations or supplements to nominations must be submitted via e-mail to the Award Committee Chair Dr. Sila Cetinkaya at sila@lyle.smu.edu, by Wednesday October 1, 2025. Please submit all materials as one pdf file and make the subject of the email: 2025 WORMS Award submission for XX, where XX is the name of the nominee.
Up to two awards will be given: one award will recognize a person in academia and the other will recognize a person in industry (including government and/or lab affiliations). The award(s) will be presented to the winner(s) during the WORMS luncheon at the 2025 INFORMS Annual Meeting. Each award will include a plaque and a cash prize of $1000, which the winner(s) are encouraged to use for activities that promote the advancement and recognition of women.
For questions, please contact the 2025 Award Committee Chair: Dr. Sila Cetinkaya at sila@lyle.smu.edu.
More information here: Advancement of Women - Women in OR/MS
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Oriana Calderon
Assistant Professor
University of Tennessee
Knoxville TN
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