An IEEE Fellow holds an elite distinction. This honor is only given to select IEEE members whose extraordinary accomplishments in any of the IEEE fields of interest are deemed fitting of this prestigious grade elevation. Review the sections on this page to learn about the history of the IEEE Fellow grade, the elevation process, and how the program evolved through the years to become the program it is today.

  • The Fellow Portal - Electronic Fellow Nomination System is now closed for the IEEE Fellow Class of 2026.
  • The deadline for nominations for the IEEE Fellow Class of 2026 was 7 February 2025.

If there is a discrepancy about the Fellow nomination deadline found through an online search, or on a Society or Council website, please note that the most accurate deadline information is located on the Fellows website and in the Fellow Committee Operations Manual.

  • The Society/Council Fellow Evaluation Committee (S/C-FEC) evaluation period is currently in progress.
    • For Societies and Councils that are part of a multi-S/C Cohort Fellow Evaluating Committee (CFEC), the CFEC review period will begin in mid-April 2025.
  • All evaluations from S/C-FECs and CFECs are due in the Fellow Portal by 30 May 2025.
  • The Fellow Portal will open in November 2025 to accept nominations for the IEEE Fellow Class of 2027.

About IEEE Fellows

Receiving an IEEE Fellow designation is an exceptional honor. This prestigious grade elevation can be conferred to an IEEE member who achieves outstanding accomplishments in any IEEE field of interest.

Nominees must hold an IEEE Senior or Life Senior member grade. They must also be members in good standing, completing a minimum of five cumulative years of IEEE membership in any grade before 1 January of the year of elevation.

Nominate a FellowMeet this year's Fellows

IEEE Fellows Page
IEEE Fellows Page

“It’s a very special honor to be named an IEEE Fellow because it means your peers have recognized your contribution’s significance and impact.”
 

Arijit Raychowdhury
Arijit Raychowdhury, Steve W. Chaddick School Chair and Professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology

IEEE's Board of Directors grants the Fellow grade, and new Fellows receive a certificate with their name and a citation that states their accomplishment, a congratulatory letter from the IEEE President, and a 10k gold IEEE Fellow lapel pin. 

Need a replacement pin or certificate? Current Fellows can order replacements by submitting a completed order form.

Order Now
IEEE Fellows Page
IEEE Fellows Page
IEEE Fellows Page
IEEE Fellows Page
IEEE Fellows Page
IEEE Fellows Page
IEEE Fellows Page

History of the IEEE Fellow Program

More IEEE History

1912

The Fellow grade first appeared in the constitution of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE), an IEEE precursor organization. At the time, potential Fellows needed to be age 32 or older and have at least ten years of professional experience. 

1914

Another early group, the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE), introduced the Fellow grade in its constitution. For a time, members of AIEE or IRE could apply for an upgrade with references from other Fellows, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors.

1915

Alfred N. Goldsmith, one of a handful of engineers responsible for organizing IRE, was awarded the Fellow designation.

1938

AIEE made a constitutional modification requiring “a proposal of five members or Fellows" to back any member’s application for promotion to Fellow. IRE declared Fellow grade admission possible only by invitation from its Board of Directors the following year. A decade later, AIEE adopted a similar direct-invitation policy, prohibiting self-applications. 

1942

IRE issued citations to new Fellows for the first time, describing their accomplishments. AIEE followed in 1952.

1982

Renowned physicist and philanthropist Dr. Mani Bhaumik became an IEEE Fellow for his contributions to the research and development of high-energy lasers and new laser systems.

1991

The late Roger Brockett, a renowned researcher and educator, received the IEEE Control Systems Award, celebrating his pioneering advancements in nonlinear control, stability, robotics, and control engineering education. In 2026, the award will be renamed the IEEE Roger W. Brockett Control Systems Award in honor of the IEEE Life Fellow.

IEEE Fellows by the Numbers

Fellow is the highest grade of IEEE membership. Each year, this honor is limited to no more than 0.1 percent of the total IEEE voting membership. See statistics about recent Fellows, according to a range of metrics.   

Employment Affiliation (PDF, 80 KB)
Regional Affiliation (PDF, 322 KB)
Summary Year (PDF, 51 KB)

IEEE members honored with the Fellow grade made advances that not only brought recognition to their fields, they made the world better. Here are some highlights from the 2025 Fellow Class.

The review process for 2025’s Fellow class took place throughout 2024. IEEE received 1,058 applications, and 338 members were designated as Fellows. Their contributions ranged from power conversion for induction heating to neuroscience to wireless Internet of Things. Here, you can learn more about just a few of them.

IEEE Members

2025 Fellows Spotlight

    Vishal Monga

    Vishal Monga’s contributions to computationally efficient image analysis and restoration led to his IEEE Fellow elevation. His numerical optimization methods have not only enabled high-quality image acquisition and rendering but also improved the classification of image content. During his 15 years as a professor at Penn State, PA, USA, Monga has made outstanding contributions in the fields of data science, artificial intelligence, and signal and image processing. Monga is also on a list of research-based awards that include a National Science Foundation CAREER Award and induction into the National Academy of Inventors.

    See Vishal’s Recent Publications
    IEEE Fellows Page
    Vishal Monga
    Professor of Electrical Engineering, Penn State University, PA, USA
    IEEE Fellows Page

    “It’s an honor to be recognized by my colleagues … This designation is a direct reflection on the quality and achievements of my students over the past 25 years. It further demonstrates that our research and teaching programs are producing the highest qualified and capable graduates who then go on to create meaningful impacts through their engineering careers.”

    Regan Zane
    Director, NSF ASPIRE Engineering Research Center, and David G. and Diann L. Sant, Endowed Professor, Utah State University, UT, USA. Fellow since 2025.

    If you are looking to nominate someone to become an IEEE Fellow, here is the process and some quick help guides. Note: The nominator must submit a nomination before a reference or endorser can complete their support form.

    Quick links and guides are below; please refer to the step-by-step Fellow nomination process before beginning.

    Steps to Become an IEEE Fellow

    Online Nomination Form

    Fellow Nomination Process

    Society/Council and Cohort Fellow Evaluating Committees

    IEEE Fellow Committee

    The IEEE Fellow Committee recommends candidates to the IEEE Board of Directors for the rank of Fellow.

    Quick links and guides are below.

    Access the Scoring Application

    Fellows Directory

    Connect with IEEE Fellows

    The IEEE Fellows directory allows members to connect with Fellows, whether it’s for completing an IEEE Fellow nomination or for gathering information for a Region, Section, or Society. The directory can be filtered by a range of categories. Non-members have limited access.

    Browse the directory
    IEEE Fellows Page

    Questions about the IEEE Fellows program? Please reach out to the team at fellows@ieee.org. 

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