Leeds alumna Diletta wins three prestigious awards for ‘superior’ research

The IPMA Young Researcher Award, the Superior Paper Award, and a coveted spot on the Project Management institute (PMI) ‘future 50 list of young global leaders’ are all accolades received by Diletta.

University of Leeds alumna Diletta Invernizzi is now Project and Portfolio Manager at Jacobs. She recieved the IPMA Young Researcher Award for the contribution of her research to developing the association’s standards, and for her ‘original and excellent’ research.

Presented by the International Project Management Association (IPMA), the Young Researcher Award is the most prestigious award for rising project management academics and it is extremely well-known among scholars.

Diletta said: “To be awarded the prestigious IPMA young researcher award is an incredible achievement. I am very thankful to all the research team at the University of Leeds for all the support received, which helped me develop as a researcher and critical thinker.

The award is helping me to support others in their research... and demonstrate the important contribution of project management research to practitioners.

Diletta Invernizzi, Jacobs

“It is already helping me to increase my self-confidence in supporting others in their research, boosting my network, and demonstrating the important contribution of project management research to practitioners.”

Laying the foundations for future waste management

Her paper on the drivers and barriers of cross-sector collaboration in the nuclear, and oil and gas industries won the Superior Paper Award at the Waste Management Symposia 2020, in Phoenix, Arizona, where Diletta presented her findings. It was given the ‘superior level rating’ by the judging panel, who recognised Diletta for demonstrating ‘superb knowledge and understanding.’

Diletta’s research presented in this paper stemmed from her work as Project and Portfolio Manager at Jacobs, where she manages Innovate UK research projects, and her PhD. She fosters collaborations between industry and universities to encourage research and development (R&D), and the commercialisation of research.

Deputy Managing Director of WM Symposia, Inc. wrote: “Diletta’s paper achieved the superior level rating based on the paper review judging criteria. It demonstrated superb knowledge and understanding and lays the foundation for future waste management endeavors.”

Diletta said: “I was surprised and extremely delighted that my paper was recognised by WM Symposia, Inc. with such an accolade.”

Young global leaders

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) funded Diletta’s PhD, undertaken in the School of Civil Engineering at Leeds, where she investigated project management in the nuclear power sector. Diletta’s main supervisor was Professor Giorgio Locatelli, who is involved with the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) ‘future 50’ list of young global leaders.

The PMI’s ‘future 50’ list of young global leaders is awarded to talented project management scholars in recognition their achievements. The criteria identifies those who have been seen to transform the workplace through collaboration, inclusion, and purpose.

Diletta said: “I would like to thank everyone at Jacobs and at the University of Leeds who supported me. The PMI award is great recognition, and I am truly honoured to join the distinguished group of winners of the past years.