Mantooth Elected President of IEEE Power Electronics Society

University Relations

Dr. H. Alan Mantooth, Distinguished Professor and 21st Century Chair in Research Leadership

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, or IEEE, has more than 425,000 members in 160 countries worldwide, making it the world's largest professional association dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity. The institute and its members inspire a global community through its highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities. IEEE is comprised of 39 societies and seven technical councils representing the wide range of IEEE technical interests including such areas as communications, circuits and systems, radar, control systems, computing, electric power systems, and computer-aided design and design automation.

Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering Alan Mantooth has been elected President of one of these 39 societies -- the IEEE Power Electronics Society (ieee-pels.org), or PELS for short. He will serve in 2016 as PELS President-Elect while continuing in his present role of Vice-President of Technical Operations. He will take office as President in January 2017 for a term of two years, and then serve as Past-President for two additional years. Prof. Mantooth served the society in a leadership role for standards from 2004-2012 and then technical operations since 2012. As a volunteer organization, PELS and IEEE in general, rely on the tireless efforts of its members to organize the field, disseminate advancing ideas and technologies, educate new and existing power electronics engineers, and facilitate networking of the practicing professionals in order to promote their professional growth as well as the growth the field.

The 7500+ member PELS society is one of the fastest growing IEEE societies. For over 25 years, PELS has facilitated and guided development and innovation in power electronics technology. This technology encompasses the effective use of electronic components, the application of circuit theory and design techniques, and the development of analytical tools toward efficient conversion, control and condition of electric power. Members of PELS include preeminent researchers, practitioners, and distinguished award winners. PELS publishes the IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, the top cited journal among all IEEE publications.

Power electronics is ubiquitous in its applications including computing, consumer electronics, communications, automobiles, mass transportation, industrial and commercial systems, space and military systems, medical devices, lighting, utility power and smart grids, and renewable energy systems. As such, power electronics touch or impact the lives of almost all of humanity on a daily basis.

"I am deeply humbled by the selection to lead our dynamic and growing society," said Mantooth. "The field of power electronics is in the midst of a fantastic age of innovation and progress in all areas ranging from power semiconductor materials and devices, advancing integration, design automation, controls, and multi-disciplinary design that is impacting the world in so many profound ways from the grid to transportation. We are making the world a better place and are making humanity better stewards of its resources at the same time! PELS and its members are the center of these research and product advances occurring all over the world - Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North and South America. It is a GREAT time to be in power electronics to change the world for the better!"

Mantooth serves as the executive director of the National Science Foundation Center on Grid-connected Advanced Power Electronic Systems (www.grapes.uark.edu) and the Cybersecurity Center on Secure, Evolvable Energy Delivery Systems, funded by the Department of Energy and Department of Homeland Security, both headquartered at the University of Arkansas. He also serves as deputy director of the NSF Engineering Research Center on Power Optimization of Electro-Thermal Systems (www.poets-erc.org), a recently awarded power electronics center headquartered at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.