The NORS Best Master Thesis Award is an annual award that recognizes outstanding master’s theses in Operations Research in Norway. The award highlights high-quality student work that demonstrates strong analytical thinking, methodological rigor, and relevance for research or practice.

The overview below presents the former winners of the award.

Former winners

2025

Henning Lied Gullbekk and Trym Wian, NTNU
Supervisors: Magnus Stålhane and Mohamed Ben Ahmed
Thesis title: Solving the Crew Scheduling Problem using Network Flow Models: A Case Study of Norse Atlantic Airways ASA

2024

Christian Rognes and Herman Grytbakk Tronsmo, NTNU
Supervisors: Magnus Stålhane and Vibeke Hvidsten Pettersen
Thesis title: Optimization and Simulation of Jackup Vessel Chartering for Offshore Wind Farm Maintenance: Comparing Predictive and Condition-Based Maintenance Strategies

2023 — ex aequo

Marie Lindland, UiO
Supervisor: Carlo Mannino
Thesis title: Mixed Integer Linear Programming Formulations for a Resource-Constrained Project Scheduling Problem

Helle Hagli Sønnervik, NTNU
Supervisors: Peter Schütz and Mohamed Kais Msakni
Thesis title: Strategic Fleet Renewal of Norwegian Fisheries with Environmental Considerations

2022

Håkon Furnes Hævre, Unni Lien, and Mattias Myklebust, NTNU
Supervisors: Kjetil Fagerholt and Kenneth Løvold Rødseth
Thesis title: Network Design for Zero Emission Passenger Vessel Services

2021

Jakob Kallestad, UiB
Supervisor: Ahmad Hemmati
Thesis title: Developing an Intelligent Hyperheuristic for Combinatorial Optimization Problems Using Deep Reinforcement Learning

2020

Benjamin Narum, NHH
Supervisors: Stein W. Wallace and Janie Fairbrother
Thesis title: Problem-Based Scenario Generation in Stochastic Programming with Binary Distributions: Case Study in Air Traffic Flow Management

2019

Sofie Smith Vågen and Jørgen Bjaarstad Nikolaisen, NTNU
Supervisor: Peter Schütz
Thesis title: A Combined Optimization-Simulation Framework for a Maritime Inventory Routing Problem Under Uncertainty

2018

Nikolai Mathisen Pitsborg and Anne-Marie Mellbye, NTNU
Supervisors: Kjetil Fagerholt and Lars Magnus Hvattum
Thesis title: Early-Stage Real Estate Development Using Nonlinear Optimization

2017

Carl Axel Aadne Folkestad and Nora Åsheim Hansen, NTNU
Supervisors: Henrik Andersson, Kjetil Fagerholt, and Giovanni Pantuso
Thesis title: Optimal Handling and Repositioning of Modern Carsharing Systems: A Hybrid Genetic Search with Adaptive Diversity Control Approach