image: Fang Zheng Peng, the RK Mellon Endowed Chair Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Director of the Energy GRID Institute at Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering.
Credit: Fang Peng
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) today announced that University of Pittsburgh Professor Fang Peng, an internationally acclaimed power electronics researcher, is among the newest cohort elected to the academy. The NAE is recognizing Peng for “contributions to the development of high-powered electronic technologies for advanced power grid and energy conversion.”
Peng, the RK Mellon Endowed Chair Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Director of the Energy GRID Institute at Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering, is among the 128 new members and 22 international members announced today by NAE President John L. Anderson. The members will be inducted at the NAE Annual Meeting this fall, October 5 in Washington, DC.
Peng joins Anna Balazs, Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, and Michele V. Manuel, U. S. Steel Dean of Engineering, as Pitt’s NAE members, as well as Distinguished University Professor Emeritus Savio L-Y. Woo (1994) and alumnus John A. Swanson, PhD '66 (2009).
“Fang is a phenomenal researcher in modernization of electric power systems, which has tremendous national security importance for our nation,” Dean Manuel said. “His career contributions to electric power research and new collaboration with our diverse grid programs have helped to establish Pitt and the Swanson School as one of the nation’s leaders in this critical field.”
Peng is a well-respected author in electric power research and leader in power conversion technology, with more than 400 publications in IEEE Xplore and more than 18,200 citations, with more than 73,000 citations overall and an h-index of 109. Prior to Pitt, he served as a Distinguished Professor of Engineering at Florida State University and was part of its Center for Advanced Power Systems. His research on multilevel inverters for static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) applications provided essential power electronics tools for improving power flow capability and dynamic stability of transmission and distribution networks. Many STATCOM installations are still widely used across the world and incorporate his patented innovations.
Alan George, R&H Mickle Endowed Chair and Professor and Department Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering, noted that Peng builds upon a 132-year legacy of electric power research at Pitt. “It is fitting that Peng receives this honor in the program founded in 1893 by George Westinghouse, one of the pioneers and original drivers for electric power. We are incredibly proud that his name will be part of the groundbreaking history of our department and the university.”
Peng’s achievements span more than 30 years with his most recent being named to the National Academy of Inventors in 2022. His career in industry led him to his fruitful exploration into research. From 2000 to 2018, Peng served as a University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University, the most prestigious ranking designated by the university’s Board of Trustees. He also led projects for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and as the principal scientist with the Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Research Center.
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