2025 Haftka Young Investigator Award – Call for Nominations 

The ISSMO Executive Committee is pleased to invite nominations for the 2025 Haftka Young Investigator Award. The Haftka Young Investigator Award recognizes outstanding researchers early in their careers for achievements and promising groundbreaking research in the field of structural and multidisciplinary optimization. The award is named in honor of the foundational research contributions of Professor Raphael T. Haftka and his passion for mentoring young researchers. 

ISSMO Members that are within 10 years of the conferral date of their doctoral degree, with additional time added for family and/or medical leaves as applicable, may be nominated by a full ISSMO member (self-nominations are not permitted). Nominees should be currently active in making both technical contributions to ISSMO and participating in ISSMO activities. To be considered for the award, the following materials must be received by the Awards Committee by the nomination deadline of March 31, 2025: 

  • From the Nominator: A Letter of Nomination and the candidate’s Curriculum Vitae (CV). The Letter of Nomination (max. 2 pages) should confirm the candidate’s eligibility and provide a justification for recommending the candidate for the award. The candidate’s CV should be no longer than 4 pages. 
  • From two other referees: A Letter of Recommendation (max. 1 page) with justification for recommending the candidate for the award. 

The Nominator and the two additional references should send their materials in pdf format directly to the Awards Committee at ISSMOawards@gmail.com with the candidate’s name in the subject line. All materials must be received by the nomination deadline of March 31, 2025. 

The Haftka Young Investigator Awardee will be selected from the eligible nominees by the ISSMO Awards Committee. The Awards Committee will consist of one ISSMO Executive Committee member and four external full ISSMO members. The Awardee will receive a cash prize, a commemorative plaque and be recognized at the General Assembly of the WCSMO-16. 

Questions regarding the nomination procedure may be sent to the Awards Committee Chair, Professor Niels Aage, at ISSMOawards@gmail.com or to the Secretary General, Professor Oded Amir, at contact