The Peccei Award was established in 1984 in recognition of Dr. Aurelio Peccei's contribution to the understanding of global problems and his efforts to promote multi-national collaborative research.
The Mikhalevich Award was established in 1995 following the death of Academician Vladimir S. Mikhalevich, a pioneer in cybernetics and mathematical problems, who at that time was Chairman of the IIASA Council.
The selection procedure
The following criteria will be taken into account by external reviewers and the Awards Selection Committee when reviewing the papers:
Quality of the research: For example, is the problem/issue clearly framed and described?; the methodology well executed?; the study grounded in the literature?; the derived conclusions justifiable?
Originality of the research: For example, is the problem framed in a unique way?; the chosen methodology/approach innovative?
Effectiveness of the approach: For example, are the research objectives effectively met?, the problem/ issue effectively approached/solved?; the research appropriately interdisciplinary?
Relevance/impact of the research: For example, does the study advance science or methodology?; is it policy relevant?
Memos from supervisors supporting their candidate: The Selection Committee is usually made up of IIASA director, the YSSP dean, and scientific representatives from IIASA programs.
Dr. Aurelio Peccei
Dr. Aurelio Peccei (1908-1984), perhaps best known as the President of the Club of Rome, enjoyed a distinguished career in industry, conservation, and international affairs. His hallmark was a humanistic approach to the problems confronting the modern world, be they economic, technological, managerial, or political.
Dr. Peccei was a consistent and devoted friend of IIASA, a member of the small group of individuals who inspired the original concept of the Institute and contributed actively to its realization. In his later years, his overwhelming concern was the challenge of finding creative opportunities for young people to influence a shared future. In 1984, the Peccei Award was established in an effort to meet this charge, as well as to recognize Peccei's contribution to multinational collaborative research.
Academician Vladimir S. Mikhalevich
Academician Vladimir S. Mikhalevich (1930-1994) was the Council Member of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences at the time of his death. He was associated with the Institute for many years, in a scientific capacity as a member of the System and Decision Sciences Advisory Committee, and administratively, as Chairman of the Governing Council from 1987 to 1992.
Perhaps less known, but equally important, was Academician Mikhalevich's role in the academic world of the former Soviet Union. At a time when it was not popular, he ventured into cybernetics and employed computers for mathematical problems. He not only conducted his own pioneer work, but unfailingly supported young researchers who came to work with him even when they followed new directions of enquiry, which diverged from his own.
2018 Winners
Peccei Award: Matt Cooper
The 2018 winner of the Peccei Award is Matt Cooper for his paper entitled Which children are most vulnerable to climate change? Mapping the effects of meteorological extremes on child stunting. Matt is a PhD student in the Department of Geographical Sciences at the University of Maryland and holds an MA in Geography form UNC Chapel Hill and a BA in Geography from the University of Florida. He is interested in combining geolocated data on human wellbeing with environmental datasets derived from remote sensing to better understand the impacts of climate change on vulnerable populations. Matt will continue work on his YSSP research with the IIASA Ecosystems and Services Management and Risk and Resilience programs. Report (PDF)
Mikhalevich Award: Jiamin Ou
The 2018 Mikhalevich Award winner is Jiamin Ou for her paper entitled China’s export industries and their contributions to ground-level Ozone pollution. Jiamin, originally from China, is a second-year PhD student at the University of East Anglia (UEA), UK. Her current research interests include the consumption-based accounting for greenhouse gas and air pollutants, and their linkages to climate and air quality models. She holds two Master’s degrees (Master of Environmental Engineering at the South China University of Technology, and MSc in Risk Management at the Chinese University of Hong Kong) and will be returning to the IIASA Air Quality and Greenhouse Gasses Program to continue work on her YSSP study. Report (PDF)
Honorable Mention: Davit Stepanyan
The 2018 Honorable Mention goes to Davit Stepanyan. Originally from Armenia, he is now a third-year PhD student and research associate at Humboldt University in Berlin, with a strong interest in risk and uncertainty analysis in agriculture as well as economic modelling. Davit holds a Master’s degree in Agricultural Sciences from the University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart. His final paper on Application of Gaussian Quadratures in the Global Biosphere Management Model (GLOBIOM) as an efficient approach to uncertainty analysis is a result of his YSSP stay at the IIASA Ecosystems and Services Management Program. Report (PDF)
