About the Award
The IEEE PELS R. David Middlebrook Achievement Award honors an individual who has accomplished outstanding contributions in the technical field of power electronics within one or more subfields, such as modeling and control, design-oriented analysis, development, simulation, and application of electronic devices, passive components, analog sensing, and power circuits for inverters, converters, and motor drives in all power levels.
Prize:
- Bronze medal
- Honorarium (USD 5,000)
- Plaque
- 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 R. David Middlebrook Achievement 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: Don Tan
For contributions to advancing high-efficiency and high-reliability power electronics products, systems, and technologies
Dr. Don Tan is a visionary and impactful leader in ultra-efficient power conversion and electronic energy systems. He earned his PhD from Caltech, is a member of National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and an IEEE Fellow. He has held various executive positions at a US Fortune 500 company.
He has pioneered breakthrough innovations with high-impact industry firsts, receiving commendations from the highest levels of the US Government for “significantly enhancing national security.” His suite of world-class electronics is performing flawlessly on the historic James Webb Space Telescope located one million miles away, achieving world-record-breaking performance and advancing humanity’s understanding of deep space for years to come.
Well-recognized, Dr. Tan is IEEE Vice President and Technical Activities Board Chair, 2026. His extensive service includes founding President of the IEEE Transportation Electrification Council, IEEE Division II Director, IEEE Fellow Committee Chair, and IEEE PELS President. He was the founding Editor-in-Chief for IEEE JESTPE and General Chair for APEC (the fourth largest IEEE event). He served also as Chair for the IEEE/Google Little Box Challenge (Awarded a $1M prize) and the IEEE/DoD Working Group that developed IEEE/ANSI Standards 1515/1573. Dr. Tan has delivered over 150 keynotes and invited presentations globally.
2025
H. Alan Mantooth
2024
Keyue Smedley
2023
Marco Liserre
2022
Dragan Maksimovic
2021
Shu-Hung (Henry) Chung
2020
Alex Qin Huang
2019
Issa Batarseh
2018
Grahame Holmes
2017
Jian Sun
2016
Mark Dehong Xu
2015
David J. Perreault
2014
Johann Kolar
2013
William Gerard Hurley
2012
Prasad Enjeti