Krein receives distinguished service award

Philip T Krein, Grainger Endowed Director’s Chair Professor in Electric Machinery and Electromechanics, received the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Power Electronics Society’s 2008 Distinguished Service Award.

“It’s an important recognition of volunteer work in the profession,” Krein said. “I think it’s an important award, and I’m grateful to have been selected for it.”

The Power Electronics Society, a technical society of the IEEE, aims to develop the science and education behind power electronics technology. The Distinguished Service Award is granted to a dedicated Power Electronics Society member who has provided the group with an array of services and achievements.

Since he became an active volunteer in the Power Electronics Society in 1989, Krein has held an array of positions. Over the years, he has run two conferences and chaired the publications committee, education committee, and student competitions. Krein, who was named an IEEE fellow in 2000, also served as the society’s president from 1999 to 2000 and a distinguished lecturer from 2005 to 2007. He is currently the Fellows Evaluation Chair and active on various technical committees.

“I try and make sure it’s not all the [senior members] who are running stuff by recycling through different offices,” Krein said.

Krein received his award of $3,500 and an engraved plaque at the Power Electronics Society awards banquet as part of the group’s annual conference, held June 15 to June 19 in Rhodes, Greece.

The Distinguished Service Award is not the first Krein has received from the Power Electronics Society. In 2003, he received the IEEE William E. Newell Award, a prestigious technical award named after a pioneer in power electronics, for his outstanding contributions to advancements within in the field. Krein has received other awards, outside of the society, including the IEEE Third Millennium Medal in 2000 and the Best Paper Award at the International Telecommunications Energy Conference in 2007.

Krein obtained his bachelor of science degree from Lafayette College, Pennsylvania, in 1978. He then received his master’s and PhD from Illinois in 1980 and 1982, respectively.

Upon graduation, Krein worked at Tektronix in Portland, Oregon, developing display technologies and inkjet printing, for almost four years. He joined the ECE Illinois faculty in 1987, becoming the director of the Grainger Center for Electric Machinery and Electromechanics in 1999 and serving as a faculty advisor for the University’s Advanced Electric Vehicle Program.

Krein’s research interests include conversion for alternative energy sources, improvements to high performance circuits for energy conversion, and various applications relating to electric motors. Over the years, he has obtained 12 U.S. and 5 European patents. He also authored Elements of Power Electronics in 1997, which was one of the first undergraduate texts to provide an engineering science framework for power electronics, and has written chapters in a variety of publications.