2023 Winner(s)
- Guanghui Lan, Georgia Institute of Technology
- Rakesh V. Vohra, University of Pennsylvania
For Dr. Vohra
Professor Vohra’s contributions are of fundamental importance in unlocking the deep ties between operations research and economics. In the cited work, he uses optimization methods to solve a range of market design problems that are of interest to theory and to applications of management science. His methodological breakthroughs, using linear programming and network optimization, yield important findings in several important settings, including stable matchings and mechanism design. Furthermore, Professor Vohra’s writing is an outstanding example of clarity and excellence of the exposition.
For Dr. Lan
Professor Lan’s influential book presents a collection of research findings that have both advanced optimization theory and introduced practical algorithms that have made a significant impact across the machine learning community. This book encapsulates foundational research that forms the optimization bedrock of deep learning, resonating not only within operations research but across various machine learning disciplines, making it an indispensable guide for both researchers and practitioners.
Purpose of the Award
Committee Chair
The Lanchester prize is awarded for the best contribution to operations research and the management sciences published in English in the past five years (i.e. 2018 or more recent). For a group of publications, at least one publication of the group must have been published during that same five-year period. The prize includes a commemorative medallion and a U.S. $5,000 cash award. The award is given each year at the fall INFORMS Annual Meeting.
Application Process
To be eligible for the Lanchester Prize, a paper, a book, or a group of books or papers must meet the following requirements:
- It must be on an operations research/management science subject.
- It must have been published in in the past five years (i.e. 2018 or more recent). For a group of publications, at least one publication of the group must have been published during that same five-year period.
- It must be written in the English language, and
- It must have appeared in the open literature.
The submission deadline will be June 15, 2024. The award will be presented at the 2024 Annual INFORMS Meeting.
About the Award/Namesake
In 1896 Lanchester and his brother built the first petrol car in England. Lanchester redesigned and re-built the engine the next year into a two cylinder horizontally opposed version using his new wick carburetor design to improve both performance and speed. His true interest remained mechanical flight, which he had been studying since the early 1890s. He developed a model for the vortices that occur behind wings during flight, which included the first full description of lift and drag. During World War I he was particularly interested in predicting the outcome of aerial battles. In 1916 he published Aviation in Warfare: The Dawn of the Fourth Arm, which included a description of a series of differential equations that are today known as Lanchester's Power Laws...