Best Dissertation Proposal Competition

2024 Winner(s)

  • Susie Choe , University of Michigan, Ross School of Business
Winning material: Identity-Based Competition: How Identity Shapes Producers’ Market Positioning and Stratification Processes

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

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
Piyush Gulati, INSEAD
Shun Yiu , University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School
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
Amisha Miller, Boston University
Ekin Ilseven, INSEAD
Sarah Gordon, University of Michigan
Siyin Chen, University of Toronto
Sukhun Kang, London Business School
William Reuben Hurst, University of Michigan
2021
Winner(s)
Rebecca Ponce De Leon, Duke University
Runner-Up
Anna McKean, Northwestern University
Daniel Wilde, University of Pennsylvania
Finalist
Bryan Spencer, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management
Farnaz Ghaedipour, McMaster University
Giselle Antoine, University of Washington
Kimberly Rocheville, Boston College
Melanie Prengler, Texas A&M University
2020
Winner(s)
Summer Jackson, MIT Sloan School of Management
Runner-Up
Yu Tse Heng, University of Washington, Foster School of Business
Finalist
Audrey Holm, Boston University, Questrom School of Business
Gauri Subramani, University of California Berkeley, Haas School of Business
Jiwon Hwang, Columbia University, Columbia Business School
Karren Knowlton, University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School
Rebecca Karp, Boston University, Questrom School of Business
Seojin Kim, University of Maryland, Robert H. Smith School of Business
Yu Tse Heng, University of Washington, Foster 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
Hannah Weisman, London School of Economics and Political Science
Hugh Xiaolong Wu, Stanford University, Stanford Graduate School of Business
Hyeun Lee, University of Maryland, Robert H. Smith School of Business
Travis Howell, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Kenan-Flagler Business School
2018
First Place
Basima Tewfik, Wharton School
Second Place
Hyo Kang, Haas School of Busines
Rebecca Paluch, Cornell University
Finalist
Britta Glennon, Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy
John Eklund, Wharton School
Michael Lee, Harvard Business School
Stefan Dimitriadis, Harvard Business School
Trey Cummings, Olin School of Business
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
Michael Mauskapf, Northwestern University
Priyanka Dwivedi, Pennsylvania State University
Sarah Wittman, INSEAD
Sora Jun, Stanford University
Yongzhi Wang, University of Southern California
2015
Winner(s)
Julia DiBenigno, MIT, Sloan School of Management
Finalist
Amer Madi, INSEAD
Derek Harmon, University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business
Feng Bai, University of British Columbia, Sauder School of Business
François Neville, Georgia State, Robinson College of Business
Jillian Chown, Toronto, Rotman School of Management
Pooria Assadi, Simon Fraser University
Santiago Campero, MIT, Sloan School of Business
Tiffany Johnson, Penn State, Smeal 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
Douglas Lepisto, Boston College
Jacqueline Kirtley, Boston University
Matthew Karlesky, University of Michigan
McKenzie Rees, University of Utah
2013
First Place
Sujin Jang, Harvard Business School
Runner-Up
Chad Murphy, Pennsylvania State University

Finalist
Brad Fulton, Duke University
Heeyon Kim, University of Michigan
Jean-Nicolas Reyt, Paris Dauphine University/New York University
Jin-Hyun Bae, New York University
KiYoung Lee, University of Minnesota
Matthew Lee, Harvard Business School
2012
First Place
Melissa A. Valentine, Harvard University
Finalist
Andrew K. Schnackenberg, Case Western Reserve University
Elizabeth D. Rouse, Boston College
Jay O’Toole, University of Wisconsin
Mary-Hunter McDonnell, Northwestern University
Melissa A. Valentine, Harvard University
Ryan L. Raffaelli, Boston College
Sean R. Martin, Cornell 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
Andreea Gorbatai, Harvard University
Daniel Smith, Georgia Institute of Technology
Jeffrey Treem, Northwestern University
Kenji Klein, University of California, Irvine
Michael Bikard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Shoko Kato, Syracuse University
2010
First Place
Second Place
Mary Kate Stimmler, University of California, Berkeley
Finalist
Adam Cobb, University of Michigan
Adina Sterling, Emory University
Amol Joshi, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
Erin Reid, Harvard Business School
Flannery Garnett, University of Michigan
Tomasz Obloj, INSEAD
2009
First Place
Renee Rottner, University of California-Irvine
Runner-Up
Jason Greenberg, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Finalist
Ana Elisa Iglesias, Georgia State University
Lori Qingyuan Yue, Columbia University
N. Andrew Cohen, University of Pennsylvania
Otilia Obodaru, INSEAD
Shimul Melwani, University of Pennsylvania
Shon Hiatt, Cornell University
2008
First Place
H. Colleen Stuart, University of Toronto
Second Place
Marlys K. Christianson, University of Michigan
Finalist
Benjamin Herndon, University of Texas - Austin
Catherine Anderson, University of Maryland
Colin Fisher, Harvard University
Justin I. Miller, NYU - Stern
Rachael Leah Shwom, Michigan State
Spencer Harrison, Arizona State University
2007
First Place
Heidi Gardner, London Business School
Runner-Up
J.P. Eggers, University of Pennsylvania
Finalist
Christopher Rider, University of California at Berkeley
Denisa Mindruta, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
Karl Wennberg, Stockholm School of Economics
Mario Schijven, Tilburg University
Marla Baskerville, Tulane University
Y. Sekou Bermiss, Northwestern University
2006
First Place
Celia Moore, University of Toronto
Second Place
Michael Ashworth, Carnegie-Mellon University
Finalist
Ben Hallen, Stanford University
Benjamin Cole, University of Michigan
Brian Wu, University of Pennsylvania
Laura Erskine, University of Southern California
Mike Pfarrer, University of Maryland
Yan Gong, University of Wisconsin-Madison
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
Arik Lifschitz, Columbia University
Ilya Okhmatovskiy, University of Southern California
Jared D. Harris, University of Minnesota
Kim-Chi Wakefield Trinh, Duke University
Ming Piao, Northwestern University
2004
First Place
Kate Kellogg, Sloan School of Management, MIT
Micki Eisenman, Columbia University
Second Place
Govert Vroom, INSEAD
Finalist
Christopher Marquis, University of Michigan
June-Young Kim, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Michel Anteby, Stern School of Business, New York University
Scott Johnson, Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota
Thomas Moliterno, University of California, Irvine
2003
First Place
Minyuan Zhao, New York University
Second Place
Gina Dokko, University of Pennsylvania
Finalist
Andrew V. Shipilov, University of Toronto
Gino Cattani, University of Pennsylvania
Mary Dunn, Boston College
Nina Shah, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Taco H. Reus, Florida State University
Tim Simcoe, University of California, Berkeley
2002
First Place
Anne Parmigiani, University of Michigan
Second Place
Myeong-Gu Seo, Boston College
Finalist
Beiging (Emery) Yao, University of Pittsburgh
Ben Bryant, London Business School
Dania A. Dialdin, Northwestern University
Klaus Weber, University of Michigan
Sai Yayavaram, University of Texas - Austin
Seok-Woo Kwon, University of Southern California
2001
First Place
Ann Terlaak, University of California - Santa Barbara
Second Place
Alexandra Kalev, Princeton University
Finalist
2000
First Place
Daniel Byrd, University of Michigan
Second Place
Markus Vodesek, University of Michigan
Phanish Puranum, Wharton
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
Andreas Schwab, University of Wisconsin
Shawn Marie Lofstrom, University of Minnesota
Finalist
Charles Dhanaraj, University of Western Ontario
Joseph Broschak, University of Texas at Austin
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
1996
First Place
Second Place
1995
First Place
Gautam Ahuja, University of Michigan
Second Place
Anne Cummings, University of Illinois
Tammy Madsen, UCLA
1994
First Place
Second Place
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