Stevens Doctoral Award – A Joint Award Given by INCOSE and Stevens Institute of Technology
2027 Award Applications Open
We are now accepting applications for the 2027 doctoral research grant. Since 2002, this prestigious award has recognized outstanding doctoral students worldwide whose research advances systems engineering and systems thinking. Applications due 1 September 2026.
We’re proud to celebrate the recipients of the 2026 INCOSE Foundation / Stevens Institute Doctoral Award! 🎓
Serena Campioli is a PhD student at Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy and a Space Systems Engineering Research Fellow, European Space Agency (ESA). Her doctoral research is based on the hypothesis that integrating Concurrent Engineering, Model-Based System Engineering, Data-Driven approaches and Design for Testability, into a unified framework can significantly improve the efficiency, reliability, and sustainability of complex space systems design and development.
This approach is not only theoretical but is validated through academic case studies and will be tested in an operational environment in the Concurrent Design Facility at ESA. By embedding testability principles directly in the loop, system architectures can be validated earlier, risks reduced, and verification streamlined across all lifecycle phases.]
James Hand is a PhD student in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a Department of Defense SMART Scholar. He conducts dissertation research that advances the field of Systems Engineering and Integration, in the design and validation of resilient multi-agent systems. His award-winning work on functional decomposition of eusocial insect parasite resistance provides system engineers with a structured approach to embedding resilience directly into system architectures (2023 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Student Research Symposium Poster Competition).
James Hand was recently recognized at INCOSE IS2025 with the Brian Mar Best Student Paper Award. His paper was titled “Faulted Agent Resilience in Multi-Agent Systems: An Exploration of Two Ant Inspired Strategies.”
We had a significant impact in 2024 on the SE community, contributing to advancing education, professional development, and process innovation in several industries. Through research grants and scholarships, the Foundation helped engineers to tackle complex global challenges.
A core component of the Foundation’s mission is recognizing and supporting innovative research in systems engineering. The INCOSE Foundation and Stevens Institute presented the Stevens Doctoral Award to two outstanding researchers. Recipients were awarded a $5,000 grant, a commemorative plaque, and recognition at the 2025 INCOSE International Workshop as follows:
Stephanie Charo Chiesi (Tucson, AZ) – Award for her doctoral research to bridge the gap between research and implementation in advancing the practice of SE.
Stephanie’s research looks at how digital engineering can shorten project timelines. Companies and government agencies are adopting digital methods to update their systems. A significant part of this is creating connected data environments to increase design speed. However, it may also uncover hidden issues, and we do not yet have a quick way to see how digital engineering affects project speed or efficacy.
Her approach uses modeling and simulation to abstract the development stages and enable measuring effort and time in different digital engineering scenarios. This work can find problems in decision-making caused by digital changes and help evaluate new processes that cannot be quickly attempted in real life.
Hossein Taramsari (Jersey City, NJ) – Award for his original approach to addressing sustainability in product design. Doctoral research was undertaken to enable a comprehensive framework for integrating multiple dimensions of sustainability into the product design process.
Hossein’s research addresses the current limitations of sustainable design practices and offers a structured methodology for assessing and improving sustainability outcomes. By incorporating system thinking and system dynamic techniques, the research introduces new perspectives on addressing sustainability challenges.
The developed framework is to provide a deeper understanding of sustainable design systems’ complex interactions and feedback loops. The multi-domain matrix (MDM) and automated life cycle assessment (LCA) tools offer enhanced decision-support capabilities. These tools enable designers to quantify the impacts of design decisions on sustainability and make informed choices that balance environmental, social, and economic factors.