Congratulations to Dr Nana Chu on her achievement. Her thesis was awarded Runner-Up for the 2025 INFORMS Best Dissertation Award at the 2025 INFORMS Annual Meeting. Her dissertation develops data-driven methods for aircraft wake vortex detection and dynamic, weather-dependent separation standards, integrating Doppler LiDAR observations, flight-track data, and physics-informed modelling. The results demonstrate the potential to safely increase runway throughput while maintaining or enhancing safety margins in congested terminal areas. This recognition by INFORMS, one of the world’s leading professional societies in operations research and management science, underscores the academic quality, practical relevance, and international impact of her interdisciplinary research in data science and intelligent air traffic management. Happy to receive the award from Prof. Lishuai Li.