Northwestern Engineering’s Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences (IEMS) was named a finalist for the 2026 UPS George D. Smith Prize.

Awarded by INFORMS (Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences), the prize recognizes excellence in preparing students to become practitioners of operations research and analytics. The other finalists were the Georgia Institute of Technology and the US Military Academy.

“Being named a finalist for the UPS George D. Smith Prize affirms our commitment to bridging rigorous analytical foundations with the real-world complexity of modern decision-making,” said Simge Küçükyavuz, Chair and David A. and Karen Richards Sachs Professor of Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences. “As operations research continues to converge with AI and data science, IEMS is proud to be at the forefront of preparing the next generation of practitioners.”

“One of Northwestern’s six key priorities is to harness data analytics and artificial intelligence to solve real-world problems. We are honored that INFORMS and UPS selected Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences as a finalist for the George D. Smith Prize, recognizing Northwestern’s leadership in preparing students to turn rigorous analytics and AI into impact across industry and society,” Northwestern Interim President and President Emeritus Henry Bienen said.

IEMS was recognized for integrating operations research with emerging fields like AI and data science, spanning undergraduate students, PhD students, and students enrolled in the Master of Engineering Management or Machine Learning and Data Science programs. Built on a strong computational core and strengthened by industry-focused, hands-on learning, the program centers on using data and analytical models to drive decision-making across sectors such as finance, healthcare, logistics, and technology.

All three schools presented on April 12 at the 2026 Analytics+ conference in National Harbor, Md. Georgia Tech was ultimately announced as the winner. Past winners include the National University of Singapore (2025), the University of South Carolina (2024), Purdue University (2023), and Eindhoven University of Technology (2022).

The conference was a positive experience for fourth-year IEMS student Rachel Silverman.

"I was pleasantly surprised by the strong sense of community among operations research and analytics professionals," Silverman said. "Everyone was eager to share their experiences and learn from others."

INFORMS is the world’s largest association for professionals and students in operations research, AI, analytics, data science, and related fields, working to advance best practices and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration.