Announced the Finalists for the IPMA Global Research Award 2025

IPMA is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2025 IPMA Global Research Awards, the most prestigious global competition recognizing excellence in project management research.

Each year, the IPMA Global Research Awards attract increasing attention, and in this special jubilee year—marking IPMA’s 60th anniversary—we have received a record number of high-quality applications.

To honor outstanding contributions to the field, our distinguished panel of independent IPMA Research Assessors conducted a rigorous evaluation of all submissions, providing their recommendations to the IPMA Research Judges. This year, the judges faced the challenging task of selecting the finalists from an exceptionally strong pool of candidates.

Guided by the IPMA Research Evaluation Baseline (REB) and stringent assessment criteria, both assessors and judges meticulously reviewed each application to ensure that only the most outstanding research is recognized.

Young Researcher Award

The applicant must be no older than 35 and can prove that he/she has been involved in research for less than 10 years.

Please meet the finalists shown by name in alphabetical order:

• Liqun Xiang, Xiamen University, China “Transforming existing urban housing estates into age-friendly communities in China: A multi-agent platform for the briefing stage“
• Song-Shun Lin, National University of Singapore, Singapore “Data-Driven and Knowledge-Based Framework for Large-Scale Infrastructure Management”
• Sujuan Zhang, The University of Sydney, Australia “Developing owner project capabilities for infrastructure delivery in changing environments”
• Wenxin Shen, Beijing Jiaotong University, China “Strategic Interface Management for Large-Scale Construction Projects”
• Xiao Li, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong “Decentralized Adaptive Work Packaging Methodology in Industrialized Construction”
• Xinyue Zhang, The University of Sydney, Australia “Systems Integration of Projects and Operations”

Graduate Research Award

Graduate students at master’s, MBA and doctoral levels are eligible for these awards. Completion of the research may date back to 1st January 2024, and the applicant should be nominated by her/his advisor.

Please meet the finalists shown by name in alphabetical order:

• Chen Guo, Huaqiao University, College of Civil Engineering, China “Study on Schedule Risk Management of Substation Relocation Project Based on Compensation in Kind Mode”
• Jeongyoon Oh, School of Building Construction, Georgia Tech, USA “Empowering Project Management: Data-Driven Change Order Insights with Explainable AI”
• Maria Alessandra Montenegro, University of Belgrade, Faculty of Organizational Sciences, Serbia “Project Resilience Management Model”
• Ning Sun, University College London (UCL), UK, “Project value creation from a paradox perspective”
• Shitinhg Shao, Tongji University, China “Heterogeneous Contagion of Innovation Implementation Behaviors in Multi dimensional Project-based Networks: An Embeddedness Perspective”
• Tomislav Rastovski, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Croatia “Modeling the Key Set of Competences for Increasing Project Management Success of Construction Projects”

Research Award

The scope of the research must cover at least one year of research and must be completed when the application is handed in. Completion of the research may date back to 1st January 2024.

Please meet the finalists shown by name in alphabetical order:

• David Oyekunle, University of Salford, UK, and the team: Ugochukwu Okwudili Matthew, Federal University Lavras, Brazil,  David Preston, University of Salford, UK, David Boohen, University of Energy and Natural Resources, Ghana “Trust beyond Technology Algorithms: A Theoretical Exploration of Consumer Trust and Behavior in Technological Consumption and AI Projects”
• Emin Ercan Cihan, Marmara University, Turkey, Ozgur Kabak, İstanbul Teknik University, Turkey, “An AHP-Based Evaluation Framework for Automotive Stamping Suppliers”
• Linzhuo Wang, BI Norwegian Business School, Norway, Ralf Müller, BI Norwegian Business School, Norway, Fangwei Zhu, Dalian University of Technoloy, China “Governance for project resilience Project value creation from a paradox perspective”
• Maxim Miterev, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden “Organization design in project-based settings”

Congratulations to all the finalists on this outstanding achievement—being recognized among the very best in the field of project management research.

The winners in each category will be announced at the IPMA Global Research Awards Gala, which will be held during the 13th IPMA Research Conference from the 9th-11th of April – in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Join us at the 13th IPMA Research Conference in Dubai as we come together to celebrate the achievements of the finalists and their invaluable contributions to the advancement of project management research.