About the Award
The IEEE PELS Harry A. Owen, Jr. Distinguished Service Award was established in 1996 to honor long and distinguished service to the welfare of the PELS at an exceptional level of dedication and achievement. Since 2011, it has been dedicated to the memory of Harry A. Owen, Jr. of the Duke University Pratt School of Engineering in Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Prize:
- Engraved plaque
- Honorarium (USD 3,500)
- Reimbursement towards the recipient’s necessary conference registration, travel, and accommodation costs incurred to attend the award ceremony (up to USD 1,000)
How to Submit a Nominee
To submit a nominee, you will need to log into your existing IEEE account (or register for a new one) to identify as a nominator. Select the “IEEE PELS Harry A. Owen, Jr. Distinguished Service Award” and enter the required data and documents.
The portal to submit an application is now closed.
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Details About the
Award
2026: Mario Pacas
For contributions to expanding the presence of PELS in Europe and Latin America and promoting educational programs
Mario Pacas (LSM IEEE) received the Dipl.-Ing. and Dr.-Ing. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany, in 1978 and 1985, respectively. From 1985 to 1996, he worked for BBC/ABB in Switzerland and Germany in different R&D and management positions with a very wide experience in international projects. In the ABB organization he was responsible for the development of servo drives and later Product Responsible Manager. Since 1996, he has been a Member of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany, where he was also the Head of the Chair for Power Electronics and Electrical Drives and dean of the faculty. Dr. Pacas was also Vice President for Global Relations of the Power Electronics Society in IEEE responsible for the area of education. He is presently Editor and Associate Editor in renowned Journals in the field of electrical engineering.
He is now retired Professor at the department of Electrical engineering and Computer Science, University of Siegen, Germany and an independent consultant in the area of power electronics, electrical drives and automation.
Any active PELS member is eligible. There is no restriction on affiliation, age, IEEE member grade, or nationality.
Criteria: The criteria for this award include evaluating outstanding contributions over a substantial time encompassing the following:
- Creative and invigorating leadership of PELS
- Exceptional administrative and managerial accomplishments on behalf of PELS
- General communication and advocacy of power electronics technology to the technical community as a whole
- Identification of new technologies within the scope of PELS and nurturing activities to support them
- Initiation of innovative programs to encourage wider participation in the full spectrum of PELS activities
2025
Jinjun Liu
2024
Dehong (Mark) Xu
2023
Alan Mantooth
2022
—
2021
Braham Ferreira
2020
Dean Patterson
2019
Brad Lehman
2018
William Gerard Hurley
2017
Dong Tan
2016
Dushan Boroyevich
2015
Jerry L. Hudgins
2014
Rik De Doncker
2013
Ralph Kennel
2012
Thomas Habetler
2011
—
2010
John M. Miller
2009
Frede Blaabjerg
2008
Philip T. Krein
2007
Thomas M. Jahns
2006
Jacobus Daniel van Wyk
2005
Christopher O. Riddleberger
2004
Arthur W. Kelley
2003
Koosuke Harada
2002
Robert V. White
2001
William M. Portnoy
2000
—
1999
Thomas G. Wilson, Sr.
1998
John G. Kassakian
1997
Harry A. Owen, Jr.