IEEE PELS Outstanding Achievement Award on Aerospace Power
About the Award
The IEEE PELS Outstanding Achievement Award in Aerospace Power recognizes innovators and researchers who have made outstanding technical contributions to the advancement of power electronic components and systems for both aviation and space applications.
Award Prize:
- A plaque
- An honorarium of 1,500 USD
- Reimbursement of up to 1,000 USD towards the recipient’s necessary conference registration, travel, and accommodation costs incurred to attend the award ceremony
Submitting a Nominee
When submitting a nominee, you will be asked to log into your existing IEEE account (or register for a new one) to identify as a nominator. Subsequently, select the IEEE PELS Outstanding Achievement Award in Aerospace Power and enter the required data and documents.
The portal to submit a nomination is now closed.
Award Details
Recognizing Outstanding Achievements
2023 Honoree:
Don Tan
For impactful contributions and visionary leadership in advancing space power electronics and systems
Dr. Tan is with NGSS, where he served up to executive level as Distinguished Engineer, Fellow, Chief Engineer-Power Conversion, program manager, department manager, and center director (acting). Don earned his PhD from Caltech and is an IEEE fellow. Well-recognized as a visionary leader in ultra-efficient power conversion and electronic energy systems, he has pioneered breakthrough innovations with high-impact industry firsts and record performances that “significantly enhance our national security.” Recently-deployed James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), winner of Time magazine’s Invention of the Year Award in 2022 and the Robert J. Collier Trophy in 2023 (The trophy recognizes the greatest achievement in aerospace and astronautics in America), represents human’s most power telescope for a historical mission. His suite of the world-class electronics performed flawlessly for JWST on orbit with record-breaking performances.
Dr. Tan has received 60+ awards/recognitions and delivered 70+ keynotes/invited presentations across the globe. He is, among others, Chair, IEEE Fellow Committee, IEEE Board of Directors and Steering Committee Chair, IEEE PELS/PES eGrid. He was Director, IEEE Board of Directors, PELS Long Range Planning Committee Chair, Nomination Committee Chair, PELS President, Editor-in-Chief (Founding) for IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Power Electronics, General Conference Chair for APEC, Vice President-Operations, Guest Editor-in-Chief for IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics and IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, Fellow Committee, Vice President-Meetings, IEEE Chair for IEEE/Google Little Box Challenge (awarded $1M cash prize), and IEEE/DoD Working Group Chair, developed IEEE/ANSI stds 1515/1573. He serves on many national/international award/review/selection committees.
Eligibility Requirements & Criteria
Eligibility: Any active IEEE members are eligible for this award. There are no other restrictions as to affiliation, age, gender, IEEE member grade, or nationality.
Criteria: Judgment of the nominees is based on the following:
- Past relevant activities to the field and PELS TC 11
- Sustained impact on PELS TC 11 and the profession
- The quality of the nomination
- The quality of the technical achievement or innovation
Questions?
Please send any questions to the PELS Awards Committee.