In order to promote high-quality research on FRP composites for construction, the IIFC Best PhD Thesis Award was established by the IIFC Council in 2016 in association with the Composites in Civil Engineering (CICE) conference.
Using the CICE cycle, all PhD theses completed within two years of the application deadline are eligible for the award. To be eligible, theses must be nominated by a faculty member from the student’s department (typically their advisor) who is a member of the IIFC. The nomination package shall include the following:
- Nominee’s name, affiliation and contact information;
- Nominator’s name, affiliation, contact information and relationship to nominee;
- Nominator’s statement (2 pages) justifying the significance of the dissertation, novelty, research achievements, and scientific or practical contributions;
- 4-5 page ‘extended abstract’ summary of the thesis prepared by the nominee.
- PhD Thesis document (PDF).
Nominated theses making a ‘short list’ will be invited to give a presentation at a special session of the CICE conference. The Award Panel will select the Best PhD Thesis based on an evaluation of the nomination package and presentation made at CICE.
The winner will receive a certificate, $1000 (USD) and a two-year complimentary membership to IIFC. The winner will also be expected to prepare an article for FRP International.
The IIFC Best Thesis Award will be awarded at CICE 2025 in Lisbon, Portugal. Theses submitted in calendar year 2022 or after, but were not nominated in the 2023 round, are eligible for the award in this round.
Nominations for the 2025 IIFC Best PhD Thesis Award should be submitted to Prof Rebecca Gravina (r.gravina@uq.edu.au) before 20th January 2025.
NOTE: “The selection will be based on the following criteria: significance of the problem/potential impact, originality including novelty of methodology, rigor/quality of research, quality of presentation of thesis and extended abstract, oral presentation (presentation and answers to questions at the CICE conference)”.
More information may be obtained from Prof Rebecca Gravina (r.gravina@uq.edu.au).
