IISE Manufacturing and Design (M&D) Division Best Track Paper Award

The Manufacturing & Design (M&D) Best Track Paper Award (BTPA) recognizes outstanding research contributions in manufacturing or design that will be presented at the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) Annual Conference and published in the Annual Conference proceedings. The award will be presented annually during the M&D Townhall Meeting at the IISE Annual Conference.

Eligibility Requirements

  • The paper abstract must be accepted for presentation in the Manufacturing & Design (M&D) Track at the upcoming IISE Annual Conference.
  • The final, full-length paper must be submitted through the official IISE conference submission system for abstracts and papers.
  • Candidate papers for the Best Track Paper Award will be identified by M&D Track Chairs using reviewer ratings and comments.

The submitted work must be original and distinct, and must not:

  • Have been previously published by the authors or others.
  • Be submitted for any other awards within IISE or its divisions or societies.
  • Nominated paper must be presented in-person at the IISE Annual Conference. Failure to do so can result in revocation of the award.

The author(s) must comply with the following when the final paper is submitted:

  • Nominees for the M&D Best Student Paper Award are ineligible for the BTPA.
  • The paper eligibility criteria as stated above are satisfied.

  • If the paper is attributed to a single author:
    - The author must be a member of both IISE and the M&D Division.
    - Must be registered to attend the IISE Annual Conference.
  • If the paper is attributed to multiple authors:
    - The first author listed will be designated as the lead author.
    - The lead author will be recognized as the BTPA nominee, and winner if selected.
  • At least one author must:
    - Be a member of both IISE and the M&D Division.
    - Be registered to attend the IISE Annual Conference
    - Agree to present the topic in the M&D Track during the annual conference

  • The single author or lead author has not won the BTPA during the previous two years.

Application/Nomination Process

  • The abstract for the paper topic is approved for presentation in the M&D Track at the IISE Annual Conference.
  • The full-length, final version of the paper must be submitted into the conference submission system for abstracts and papers by January 18, 2026.
  • Deadline for submitting the full-length, final version of the paper: March 22, 2026.

Evaluation Process

The BTPA selection committee will verify compliance with the eligibility criteria. Once eligibility is validated, the committee will evaluate the submitted papers by assessment and ranking to select a winner.

Papers will be assessed on a 5-point scale: 5 is the highest ranking; 0 is the lowest. Assessors will assign an integer value to each assessment category. The assessments categories are equally weighted. The assessment categories are:

  • Originality
  • Relevance to manufacturing or design
  • Significance to manufacturing or design
  • Depth and completeness of the work
  • Organization and quality of writing
  • Quality of presentation of the nominated paper at Annual Conference.

- Each paper will be assessed against the assessment criteria.
- The final score for each assessment will be the average of integers assigned in each category.
- The Selection Committee Chairperson will rank the papers based on their assessment final scores. The nominee whose paper receives the highest score will be the winner. If the event of a tie, the selection committee will deliberate to determine the winner.

The BTPA Selection Committee Chairperson will inform the winner. Notification will occur no later than March 1, 2026.

Either the selection committee chairperson or the M&D President-Elect will notify IISE regarding the finalists per IISE policies. Either will notify IISE and the M&D President of the winner immediately after selection and before the M&D Townhall.

Important Dates

  • Abstract submissions close November 10, 2025
  • Abstract decisions will be made by December 15. 2025
  • Full paper submissions are due January 18, 2026
  • Paper reviews completed by February 22, 2026
  • Paper decisions to authors by February 25, 2026
  • Speaker registration deadline: March 8, 2026
  • Paper final revision submission deadline: March 22, 2026

Direct all inquiries related to this award to the BTPA Selection Committee Chairperson: Dr. Ashif Iquebal

Recognition

  • First prize winner(s) will receive a certificate with a hardback cover at the M&D townhall meeting at the IISE Annual Conference & Expo.
  • First prize winners will be recognized in Honors & Awards program.
  • Second and Third prize winners will receive a digital certificate and be recognized at the M&D townhall meeting at the IISE Annual Conference & Expo.
  • First, second, and third prize winners will be recognized on the M&D webpage and in the M&D newsletter
  • First, second, and third prize winners will be recognized in ISE magazine.

Commitee Chair

Dr. Ashif Iquebal

Conflict of Interest Policy

It is imperative to maintain the integrity of the awards programs within IISE and the M&D Division. Therefore, all members of the division shall abide by the following conflict of interest policy requirements.

  • M&D officers and board members are ineligible for M&D awards during their period(s) of service without approval from IISE’s Senior Vice President for Technical Operations (SVP). Exceptions may only be made by the SVP when awards are time sensitive (e.g., Student board member is nominated for Best Student Paper Award but will graduate before the Annual Conference).
  • In the case of time sensitive awards without SVP approval, the affected officer/members must be recused from the awards processes. For non-time sensitive awards, officers and board members may be nominated for awards after their service on the M&D Division board has ended.
  • Award selection committees shall consist of members who have neither personal nor professional relationships with nominees. Upon knowing that such a conflict arises, the member shall immediately be recused from further participation in the selection process.
    - Example 1: A faculty member recuses himself from evaluating the work of a student attending an institution where the faculty member teaches.
    - Example 2: A committee member recuses herself from evaluating the work of a family member, friend, or professional colleague.
  • Award committee members should change annually to ensure fairness, diversity, and equality.

2025 Winner

Dr. Lingxiang Yun
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
"Transferable Deep Reinforcement Learning for Adaptive Control Across Varying Manufacturing System Configurations"

2024 Winner

Dr. Esam Alhomaidhi
King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals
"Optimizing Ideal Time in Stochastic Assembly Line Balancing through Chance-Constrained via K-means Algorithim"

Manufacturing and Design Division page

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