Call for submissions
2025 RSAI Best Dissertation in Regional Science
The Regional Science Association International (RSAI) invites submissions for the annual competition for the Best Doctoral Dissertation in Regional Science. Regional science is an interdisciplinary field concerned with theory, method, and application of regional, urban and rural, geographic and spatial investigations and analyses.
The winner will be decided by the Selection Committee and will receive a cash award of 750 Euros. Award announcements will be made at the North American Meetings of the RSAI, where participants in the competition are strongly encouraged to be present. The Selection Committee reserves the right to not make an award. Decisions made by the Selection Committee are final.
Eligibility:
- A dissertation completed in any PhD program in any country is eligible,
- A dissertation written in English,
- A dissertation successfully defended, with official graduation date between July 1st 2024 and June 30th 2025,
- A dissertation on a single or multiple general regional science topics. The Selection Committee reserves the right to determine whether a dissertation is relevant to the field of regional science.
Application (in either PDF or MS Word format):
- A two-page curriculum vita;
- A letter of support and nomination from the major professor (also known as a dissertation committee chairperson or supervisor) on stationary paper and with signature. The letter should clearly explain the dissertation’s originality and contributions to the field of regional science;
- The dissertation.
Applications should be submitted electrically by August 31, 2025, to the Chair of the Selection Committee, Dimitris Ballas (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). Large submissions can be uploaded to a cloud file-sharing site. Questions regarding the dissertation competition may be sent to him too.
Winners
2024 |
2023 |
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The dissertation presents a novel conceptual and methodological approach to the analysis of perceived accessibility and it shows that a lower provision of services and amenities in rural areas does not necessarily translate to lower levels of perceived accessibility compared to urban areas. The research employs both quantitative and qualitative methods to examine perceived accessibility to daily activities in rural areas in the Netherlands, contributing to the normative evaluation of spatial inequalities in accessibility. The PhD dissertation includes chapters that are already published in high quality peer-reviewed international journals, including highly cited articles in the Journal of Transport Geography. Dr Pot received his Doctorate from the University of Groningen on 7 September 2023 (https://research.rug.nl/en/publications/the-extra-mile-perceived-accessibility-in-rural-areas) and was supervised by Prof Taede Tillema and Prof Sierdjan Koster. Congratulations! |
The cum laude distinction (only given to around 5% of all PhD students at Wageningen University) was awarded by an extended evaluation committee of nine persons. Dr Tian’s PhD dissertation made significant contributions towards the knowledge of urbanization and environmental changes at the global scale. The thesis included highly innovative methodological features such as the use of multi-source (and high quality) Earth Observation data and social data, contributing to academic and policy knowledge relating to global urbanization and sustainability as well as their nexus at the neighbourhood level. Part of the thesis has already been published in the form of academic peer-reviewed papers in the journals Landscape and Urban Planning (2022) and Environmental Research Letters (2022). The RSAI congratulates Dr. Tian and her supervisors Professor Martin Herold and Professor Eveline van Leeuwen (Wageningen University). |
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2022 |
2021 |
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This thesis has already been published in the form of four academic peer-reviewed papers in the Journal of Regional Science (2021), Geographical Analysis (2021) and the Journal of Geographical Systems (2020 and 2022). It was also unanimously awarded the cum laude (honours) distinction (for outstanding ability to conduct independent research) by the assessment and review committee (comprising Professors P. McCann, R. Bivand, A. Anshory Yusuf,J. LeSage, M. Fischer) as well as the Tiebout Price of the Western Regional Science Association in 2019. The RSAI congratulates Dr. Jaya and his supervisors, Prof. L.J.G. van Wissen and Prof. H. Folmer (Groningen University). |
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2016 |
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2014 |
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2005 |
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2004 |
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2003 |
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2002 |
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Adelheid Holl received the 2002 dissertation competition award for her work entitled "Transport Infrastructure in Lagging European Regions." |
Felix Pot
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The RSAI presented its annual Dissertation Competition award at the 2006 North American meetings in Toronto to Dr. 
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