Professor Akshay Kumar Rathore (Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering) has been named the recipient of the 2027 IEEE Richard Harold Kaufmann Award, one of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ (IEEE) prestigious Technical Field Awards.
Recognising outstanding contributions in industrial systems engineering, the IEEE Richard Harold Kaufmann Award is presented annually to an individual or team whose work has made significant advances in the field.
According to the official citation, the award recognises Prof Rathore’s “contributions to developing innovative current-fed and multilevel power electronics converters”.
IEEE Technical Field Awards recognise exceptional achievements and significant contributions across specialised areas of engineering and technology. Recipients are selected through a peer-review process by the IEEE Awards Board, with approval by the IEEE Board of Directors.
Prof Rathore’s research focuses on power electronics and electrical motor drives.
His work on current-fed and multilevel power converters has contributed to new approaches to highly efficient electrical energy conversion, with applications spanning renewable energy systems, industrial drives, electric mobility and other electrified technologies.
“I am incredibly honoured and immensely proud to receive this prestigious award,” said Prof Rathore. “I thank my collaborators from industry and academia for bringing their invaluable expertise, perspective and spirit of partnership to my research activities. I’d also like to acknowledge my graduate students and research staff for their relentless dedication, intellectual energy, meticulous work and resilience that have made this work possible.”
Prof Rathore is the first Singapore-based researcher to receive the IEEE Richard Harold Kaufmann Award.
“I thank my collaborators from industry and academia for bringing their invaluable expertise, perspective and spirit of partnership to my research activities. I’d also like to acknowledge my graduate students and research staff for their relentless dedication, intellectual energy, meticulous work and resilience that have made this work possible.”
Prof Akshay Kumar Rathore
Mary Ellen Randall, 2026 IEEE President and CEO, said the 2027 IEEE Technical Field Award recipients “embody the relentless spirit of innovation and service that defines our global community. Across microelectronics, artificial intelligence, medical robotics, wireless networks, energy conversion, and technical education, their groundbreaking accomplishments continue to push the boundaries of science and solve critical challenges for the benefit of humanity.”
Prof Rathore will formally receive the award at the IEEE Technical Field Awards Luncheon in New York City on 5 May 2027. The award comprises a bronze medal, certificate and honorarium.
