The SIGARCH/TCCA Outstanding Dissertation award will recognize excellent thesis research by doctoral candidates in the field of computer architecture. Dissertations will be reviewed for technical depth and significance of the research contribution, potential impact on computer architecture, and quality of presentation. The award will carry a monetary value of $1000. The winner will receive the monetary award; honorable mentions receive no monetary award.


2025 ACM SIGARCH/IEEE CS TCCA Outstanding Dissertation Award Call for Nominations

Nominations

Eligibility
Eligible dissertations must have been successfully defended and deposited in the previous calendar year.

Each nominated dissertation must be on a topic relevant to computer architecture.  The determination of whether a thesis is within scope for the award will be made by the SIGARCH/TCCA Dissertation Award Committee.  A dissertation can be nominated for both the SIGARCH/TCCA Dissertation Award and the ACM Doctoral Dissertation Award.

Nomination for the award must include:

  1. English language copy of thesis
  2. Statement from the advisor limited to two pages addressing why the nominee’s dissertation should receive this award.  This should address the significance of the dissertation, not simply repeat the information in the abstract. Nomination must come from the advisor; self-nomination is not allowed.
  3. Three letters of support limited to two pages each. Supporting letters should be included from experts in the field who can provide additional insights or evidence of the dissertation’s impact.  (The nominator/advisor may not write a letter of support.)  The letter should also contain the qualification of the endorser and his/her role with respect to the nominee. If a letter writer is supporting more than one nomination, they may be asked to rank those nominations. At least one letter must come from an expert outside the nominee’s university. Additional letters beyond three will not be considered.
  4. List of publications contributing to thesis
  5. Member number for nominee (Nominee must be a SIGARCH or TCCA member)
  6. Suggested citation if the candidate is selected. This should be a concise statement (maximum of 25 words) describing the key technical contribution for which the candidate merits this award. Note that the final wording for awardees will be at the discretion of the SIGARCH/TCCA Dissertation Award Committee.
  7. Nominees for the SIGARCH/TCCA Dissertation Award are expected to have adhered to the ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. Nominator and endorsers for the award must disclose whether they are aware of any violation of this Code by the nominee. The Code’s general ethical principles are as follows:
    • Contribute to society and to human well-being, acknowledging that all people are stakeholders in computing
    • Avoid harm
    • Be honest and trustworthy
    • Be fair and take action not to discriminate
    • Respect the work required to produce new ideas, inventions, creative works, and computing artifacts
    • Respect privacy
    • Honor confidentiality

Please send nominations (preferably electronically) no later than March 1, 2025 to the chair of the SIGARCH/TCCA Dissertation Award Committee, Yasuko Eckert at Yasuko.Eckert@amd.com. Nominations must be submitted in English. PDF format is preferred for all materials. Late submissions will not be considered.

Selection Process

Current Awards Committee

Past Winners