Recently, the IEEE Power Electronics Society (IEEE PELS) announced the recipients of its 2026 Graduate Studies Fellowship. Pang Jupeng, a PhD student at the Department of Electrical Engineering, received the fellowship's highest honor, the IEEE PELS John G. Kassakian Fellowship, becoming the first PhD student from a Chinese university to receive this distinction.

Profile of the Award Recipient

Pang Jupeng is a 2022-entry PhD student at the Department of Electrical Engineering under the supervision of Professor Li Yongdong. His research focuses on the coordinated optimization of power electronic converter operation and control and wide-bandgap semiconductor packaging. His work centers on multilevel converter topologies, modulation and control, and power module packaging optimization. He has published multiple SCI- and EI-indexed papers and has received Best Paper and Best Presentation awards at multiple academic conferences. His honors include the National Scholarship for Graduate Students (2024), the IEEE PES Energy Storage Outstanding Student Award (China, 2025), the Tsinghua University Tanzhen Scholar Award (2025), and the Department of Electrical Engineering Academic Rising Star Award (2026).

Pang Jupeng's fellowship project is titled “Investigation of Overload Mechanisms in SiC/Si Heterogeneous Devices and Heterogeneous Packaging with Phase-Change Materials for Energy Storage Converters.” The project focuses on the failure mechanisms of SiC/Si heterogeneous devices under transient overload conditions and the thermal management of power modules. It aims to enhance the transient overload capability of power electronic converters for energy storage through integrated optimization of device modeling, packaging design, and converter modulation and control. The research spans multiple levels, from devices and topologies to packaging and modulation and control, providing technical support for key equipment serving new power systems, including energy storage converters and grid-forming power electronic converters.

About the Fellowship

The IEEE PELS Graduate Studies Fellowship was established by the IEEE Power Electronics Society to support recipients in conducting research exchanges at universities or research institutions overseas. Eligible graduate research projects span a broad range of areas, including power electronic devices, power electronic module packaging and reliability, power electronic systems, renewable energy systems, and power electronics for electric vehicles. The selection criteria focus primarily on the innovativeness of the proposed research, the significance and potential impact of the selected topic, and the applicant's ability to achieve the proposed objectives during the fellowship period. A limited number of fellowships are awarded each year. Named after Professor John G. Kassakian, one of the founders of IEEE PELS, the IEEE PELS John G. Kassakian Fellowship is awarded to the highest-ranked recipient and represents the highest honor within the Graduate Studies Fellowship program.

Department of Electrical Engineering Advances High-Level Research and Talent Development through International Engagement

PhD students from the Department of Electrical Engineering have consistently demonstrated strong international competitiveness in the IEEE PELS Graduate Studies Fellowship selection. In 2023, Liu Hanyu (supervisor: Professor Sun Kai) became the first PhD student from the Department of Electrical Engineering to receive the Fellowship (no award was made in 2024). In 2025, Sun Ya (supervisor: Professor Hu Jun) and Wang Leheng (supervisor: Professor Sun Kai) were jointly selected as recipients. In 2026, Pang Jupeng (supervisor: Professor Li Yongdong) received the Graduate Studies Fellowship and was also awarded its highest honor, the IEEE PELS John G. Kassakian Fellowship. As a result, PhD students from the Department of Electrical Engineering have received the honor in each of the three award years—2023, 2025, and 2026—demonstrating the department's long-standing strengths in research, its solid foundation in international collaboration, and the high quality of its graduate talent development.

Recent IEEE PELS Graduate Studies Fellowship Recipients from the Department of Electrical Engineering