The Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (NAME) at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) has achieved international recognition by winning First Prize in the 2026 Mandles Prize for Hydrofoil Excellence, awarded by the International Hydrofoil Society (IHS). The award recognizes the team's innovative research entitled “Efficient Hydrodynamic Shape Optimization Using Artificial Neural Network-Based Surrogate Model with Adaptive Sampling Strategy,” conducted under the Ship Safety and Ship Handling Simulator (SSSHS) Laboratory. The research focuses on developing a computationally efficient and cost-effective approach to hydrofoil design optimization using artificial intelligence.

The award-winning project was initiated through the undergraduate thesis “Foil Shape Optimization Using Artificial Neural Network-Based Surrogate Model,” conducted by Nayma Hassan Emu and Minhazul Islam under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Z. I. Awal. The research was subsequently refined through the integration of an adaptive sampling strategy by Nayma Hassan Emu and Tayyib Ahsan, with the findings published in IEEE. The team further extended the methodology to hydrofoil design optimization, with contributions from Md. Abdul Kader, Tajimur Rafi, Muztaba Rafid Rhythm, and Md. Ebrahim Hossen. By employing an artificial neural network-based surrogate model alongside constrained optimization, the study achieved a 58.68% increase in lift coefficient using 173 samples, compared with a 28.16% increase obtained through one-shot Sobol sampling under the same sample budget.

This prestigious achievement highlights BUET's growing contribution to innovative, AI-driven marine engineering research and demonstrates the potential of advanced computational techniques to improve hydrofoil design while reducing computational costs. The success also reflects the dedication of the research team and the supportive research environment fostered by the NAME Department and its SSSHS Laboratory. BUET congratulates the faculty adviser and all team members on this outstanding international accomplishment.