IEEE ITS Best Dissertation Award

The IEEE ITS Best Dissertation Award is given annually for the best dissertation in any ITS area that is innovative and relevant to practice.

Description

The IEEE ITSS Best Dissertation Award is given annually for the best dissertation in any ITS area that is innovative and relevant to practice. This award is established to encourage doctoral research that combines theory and practice, makes in-depth technical contributions, or is interdisciplinary in nature, having the potential to contribute to the ITSS and broaden the ITS topic areas from either the methodological or application perspectives. (Established in 2017)

Prize

Three awards to be given annually for first, second and third place – Each recipient receives the full prize based on ranking. First Place receives $2000, Second Place $1000, and Third Place $500. In case of a two- or three-way tie, the prize awards for the two or three prizes at issue will be summed and divided equally among the winning candidates. No travel allowances are made for the award.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants must have written a doctoral dissertation and received a Ph.D. no more than 18 months prior to the submission. Students of sitting selection committee members are should be excluded from eligibility.

Basis for Judging

Submissions are evaluated based on the dissertation’s 1) technical contributions, 2) significance, 3) the quality of publication record, and 4) the quality of recommendation letters. Each category is scored on a 1-10 scale and summed for a total score averaged among committee members during the first round. The second round of scoring ranks the top submissions for final award after committee discussion.

Presentation

The award is presented during the banquet during the society’s flagship meeting, the Intelligent Transportation Systems Conference.

Past Awardees

Year	Awardee
2021	First Prize: Zhiyong Cui, University of Washington Title: Deep Learning for Short-term Network-wide Road Traffic Forecasting Second Prize: Alina Roitberg, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Title: Uncertainty-aware Models for Deep Learning based Human Activity Recognition in Intelligent Vehicles Third Prize: Akshay Rangesh, University of California San Diego Title: Intelligent Human-in-the-Loop Vehicular Automation with Real-Time Vision Models
2020	First Prize: Negar Mehr, University of California, Berkeley Title: EffiSmart Traffic Operation: from Human-Driven Cars to Mixed Vehicle Autonomy Second Prize: Shuo Feng, Tsinghua University Title: Testing Scenario Library Generation for Connected and Automated Vehicles Third Prize: Holger Banzhaf, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Title: Non-holonomic Motion Planning for Automated Vehicles in Dense Scenarios
2019	First Prize: Cathy Wu, University of California, Berkeley Title: Learning and Optimization for Mixed Autonomy Systems – A Mobility Context Second Prize: Woongsun Jeon, University of Minnesota Title: Active Sensing and Estimation for Nonlinear Systems with Applications to Car-Bicycle Collision Prevention Third Prize: Yihang Zhang, University of Southern California Title: Integrated Control of Traffic Flow
2018	First Prize: Anahita Jamshidnejad, Delft Center for Systems and Control, Delft University of Technology Title: Efficient Predictive Model-Based and Fuzzy Control for Green Urban Mobility Second Prize: Maria Kontorinaki Title: Advanced Nonlinear Control concepts for Freeway Traffic Network Third Prize: Nikola Bešinović Title: Integrated Capacity Assessment and Timetabling Models for Dense Railway Networks
2017	First Prize: Eshed Ohn-Bar, University of California, San Diego Title: Contextual Visual Object Recognition and Behavior Modeling for Human-Robot Interactivity Second Prize: Kun Xie, New York University Title: New Opportunities in Urban Safety Analytics Using Advanced Quantitative Methods and Big Data Third Prize: S. AliReza Fayazi, Clemson University Title: Connected Vehicles at Signalized Intersections: Traffic signal Timing Estimation and Optimization
2016	First Prize: José Ramón D. Frejo, University of Seville Title: Model Predictive Control for Freeway Traffic Networks Second Prize: Matthias Schreier, Technical University of Darmstadt Title: Bayesian Environment Representation, Prediction, and Criticality Assessment for Driver Assistance Systems Third Prize: Mohammad Shokrolah Shirazi, University of Nevada, Las Vegas Title: Vision-Based Intersection Monitoring: Behavior Analysis & Safety Issues
2015	First Prize: Mohsen Ramezani Ghalenoei, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne Title: Traffic Modeling Estimation and Control for Large-Scale Congested Urban Networks Second Prize: Meng Wang, Delft University of Technology Title: Generic Model Predictive Control Framework for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems Third Prize: Nanxiang Li, University of Texas, Dallas Title: Modeling of Driver Behavior in Real World Scenarios Using Multiple Noninvasive Sensors
2014	First Prize: Rahul Kala, Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad, India Title: Motion Planning for Multiple Autonomous Vehicles Second Prize: Mehdi Keyvan-Ekbatani, Delft University of Technology, Netherlands Title: Real-Time Urban Traffic Control under Saturated Traffic Conditions Third Prize: Prashanth L.A., SEQUEL project, INRIA Lille – Nord Europe, France Title: Resource Allocation for Sequential Decision-Making under Uncertainty: Studies in Vehicular Traffic Control, Service Systems, Sensor Networks and Mechanism Design
2013	First Prize: Samah El-Tantawy, University of Toronto, Canada Title: Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning for Integrated Network of Adaptive Traffic Signal Controllers Second Prize: Xiqun Chen, Tsinghua University, China Title: Stochastic Evolutions of Dynamic Traffic Flow: Modeling and Application Third Prize: Manuel Fogue, University of Zaragoza, Spain Title: Design and Evaluation of a Traffic Safety System based on Vehicular Networks for the Next Generation of Intelligent Vehicles
2012	First Prize: Markus Enzweiler, University of of Heidelberg Title: Compound Models for Vision-Based Pedestrian Recognition Second Prize: Anna Petrovskaya, Stanford University, USA Title: Towards Dependable Robotic Perception Third Prize: Anastasios Kouvelas, Technical University of Crete, Greece Title: Adaptive Fine-Tuning for Large-Scale Nonlinear Traffic Control Systems
2011	First Prize: Daniel B. Work, University of California, Berkeley, USA Title: Real-time estimation of distributed parameters systems: Application to traffic monitoring Second Prize: Vicente Milanés, University of Alcalá, Madrid, Spain Title: Traffic management system based on V2X communication using automated vehicles
2010	First Prize: Brendan Morris, University of California, San Diego Second Prize: Thomas Paul Michalke, Institut für Regelungstheorie und Robotik, TU Darmstadt
2009	First Prize: Arne Kesting, TU Dresden Title: Microscopic Modeling of Human and Automated Driving: Towards Traffic-Adaptive Cruise Control Second Prize: Verena Schmid, Vienna University Title: Trucks in Movement: Hybridization of Exact Approaches and Variable Neighborhood Search for the Delivery of Ready-Mixed Concrete Second Prize: Andrea D’Ariano, TU Delft Title: Improving Real-Time Train Dispatching: Models, Algorithms and Applications
2008	First Prize: Shinko Y. Cheng, University of California, San Diego Title: A Multilevel Framework for Human Body Structure and Pose Estimation and Human Gesture Analysis Using Volumetric Scene Reconstructions with Applications in Driver Assistance Systems Second Prize: Caspar Chorus, TU Delft Title: Traveler Response to Information
2007	First Prize: Thao Dang, Karlsruhe University Title: Continuous Self-Calibration of Stereo Cameras Second Prize: Yiting Liu, Ohio State University Title: Applications of Wireless Communication in Traffic Networks Using a Hierarchical Hybrid System Model
2006	First Prize: Shuming Tang, Chinese Academy of Sciences Title: A Preliminary Study for Basic Approaches in Artificial Transportation Systems Second Prize: Jianlong Zhang, University of Southern California Title: Practical Adaptive Control: Theory and Applications