MEET the Finalists for the IPMA Global Research Award 2026

After a long application and assessment process, IPMA is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2026 IPMA Global Research Awards, the most prestigious global competition recognizing excellence in Academic project management research.

To honour 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. Based on the assessors’ scores and comments, 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 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 have been involved in research for less than 10 years.

Please meet the finalists shown by name in alphabetical order:

• Keyao (Eden) Li, from Edith Cowan University, Australia, with a research ”A Dynamic Skills Framework for the Future of Project Management in the Digital Era”
• Sara Peric, from the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Organizational Sciences, Serbia, with a research ”Model of Individual Competencies in Project-Oriented Public Sector Organizations”

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:

• Luke Desmond, SKEMA Business School, USA, with a research ”The integration of BIM and blockchain to support stakeholder transitions within the built environment”
• Ning Sun, University College London (UCL), United Kingdom, “Dynamic Value Creation over the Project Life Cycle: A Paradox Perspective”
• Omar Owais, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand, with a research ”Developing and Validating a Next-Gen Digital Project Manager Competency
  Model for Construction’s Digital Transformation”
• Wenqi Li, School of Civil Engineering, Tsinghua University, China, with research ”Ethical Risks in Construction Project Management: Identification, Causes, and Governance”
  

Research Award

The research must cover at least 1 year and be completed by the time the application is submitted.

Please meet the finalists shown by name in alphabetical order:

• David Oyekunle, Salford Business School, University of Salford, United Kingdom, with a research “Swarm Intelligence for Project Management and Decision Sciences:
  Enhancing Resource, Allocation, Decision Making, and Team Collaboration”
  “

Research team: Dr David Seth Preston, University of Salford, UK, Ugochukwu Okwudili Matthew, Federal University of Lavras, Brazil, Dr David Boohen, University of Energy and Natural Resources, Ghana

• Dr Marzena Baker, Australian Catholic University, Australia, with a research ”Tapping the untapped resource to address construction skills shortages: perceptions of Australian women career changers and construction women”

Research team: Associate Professor Muhammad Ali, Queensland University of Technology, Australia; Dr. Roksana Jahan Tumpa, Central Queensland University, Australia; Emma Hassett, ACCIONA Australia and New Zealand.

• Dr Xin Cheng, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China, with a research ”Poverty alleviation without returning to poverty: China’s answer to sustainable project management”

Research team: Thriving Research Team, School of Economics and Management, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan)

Congratulations to all the finalists on this outstanding achievement—being recognised 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 14th IPMA Research Conference from the 15th to the 17th of April, in Bogota, Colombia. During the Gala Ceremony, we will also announce the recipients of the IPMA Global Project Management Academic Excellence Recognition.

Join us at the 14th IPMA Research Conference in Bogotá as we come together to celebrate the achievements of the finalists and their invaluable contributions to advancing project management research.