Plenary speakers

Plenary Session 1

Frede Blaabjerg

Presentation Title: Power Electronics Technology - Trends and Applications

Biography

Frede Blaabjerg (S’86–M’88–SM’97–F’03) was with ABB-Scandia, Randers, Denmark, from 1987 to 1988. He received his Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from Aalborg University in 1995. He became an Assistant Professor in 1992, an Associate Professor in 1996, and a Full Professor of Power Electronics and Drives in 1998 at AAU Energy. From 2017 he became a Villum Investigator. He is honoris causa at University Politehnica Timisoara (UPT), Romania in 2017 and Tallinn Technical University (TTU), Estonia in 2018 as well as honory professor of University of Parma.

His current research interests include power electronics and its applications such as in wind turbines, PV systems, reliability, Power-2-X, power quality and adjustable speed drives. He has published more than 800 journal papers in the fields of power electronics and its applications. He is the co-author of ten monographs and editor of twenty books in power electronics and its applications eg. the series (4 volumes) Control of Power Electronic Converters and Systems published by Academic Press/Elsevier.

He has received 48 IEEE Prize Paper Awards, the IEEE PELS Distinguished Service Award in 2009, the EPE-PEMC Council Award in 2010, the IEEE William E. Newell Power Electronics Award 2014, the Villum Kann Rasmussen Research Award 2014, the Global Energy Prize in 2019 and the 2020 IEEE Edison Medal. He was the Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER ELECTRONICS from 2006 to 2012. He has been Distinguished Lecturer for the IEEE Power Electronics Society from 2005 to 2007 and for the IEEE Industry Applications Society from 2010 to 2011 as well as 2017 to 2018. In 2019-2020 he served as a President of IEEE Power Electronics Society. He has been Vice-President of the Danish Academy of Technical Sciences. He is nominated in 2014-2021 by Thomson Reuters to be between the most 250 cited researchers in Engineering in the world.

Abstract

The world is becoming more and more electrified as consumption is steadily increasing. We expect it to double by 2050. At the same time, there is a large transition in power generation from fossil fuels to renewable energy, which altogether challenges the modern power system but also gives many new opportunities. We also see large steps being taken to electrify the transportation. where better environment, independency as well as higher efficiency are driving factors. One of the most important technologies to move this forward is the power electronics technology which has been emerging for decades and challenges are still seen in the technology usage. This presentation will be forward looking in some exciting research areas to further improve the technology and the systems it is used in. Following main topics will be discussed :

The Evolution of Power Devices
Renewable Generation
Reliability in Power Electronics and use of AI
Power Electronic based Power System

Plenary Session 2

Fang Z. Peng

Presentation Title: Taming the Beast – A Personal Journey and Research Quest for Safe and Resilient Electricity

Biography

Fang Z. Peng received the B.S. degree from Wuhan University, China in 1983 and the MS and Ph.D. Degrees from Nagaoka University of Technology (Nagaoka Tech), Japan in 1987 and 1990. Dr. Peng is a scholar, inventor and engineer in high-voltage high-power (mega-watt or MW) power electronics. His research career consists of three periods: 1984-1994 at Nagaoka Tech, Toyo Electric Manufacturing Co., and Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) in Japan; 1994-2000 at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) USA; and since 2000 with academia: at Michigan State University (MSU), Florida State University (FSU) and now the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt). In 1984, he started his research at Nagaoka Tech and originated the active resistance (or active impedance) concept, a groundbreaking approach to blocking, compensating and mitigating harmonics in power systems, featuring as a lossless active/virtual resistor by a power converter to suppress harmonic resonances in power systems for the first time in the world. At Tokyo Tech, he pioneered the research on multilevel converters and flexible ac transmission systems. In 1994, he joined ORNL, became the lead scientist of ORNL’s Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Research Center, and invented delta-connected modular multilevel converter-based static synchronous compensator (Delta-connected MMC STATCOM). In 2000, he founded and directed a MW Power Electronics Research Center at MSU, originated the impedance-source (Z-source) concept, and invented the Z-source control. He became a University Distinguished Professor, the highest title designated by the MSU board of Trustees in 2012. From 2018 to 2024, he joined Florida State University as a Distinguished Professor of Engineering. Since 2024, Dr. Peng has been the RK Mellon Endowed Chair and Director of the Energy GRID Institute at University of Pittsburgh. His current research interest includes fault-tolerant power electronics and fire-free, self-healing and resilient power systems for propulsion, industrial motor drives, and electrical utility applications. He is a Fellow of the IEEE, a Fellow of the US National Academy of Inventors, and a Member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering.

Abstract

As modern society’s reliance on electricity deepens, so does our vulnerability to its hazards and potential for catastrophic failures. This presentation weaves together a technical research pursuit and a personal lifelong journey to “tame the beast”—to create an electric power grid that is safer, more resilient, and more intelligent. My fascination with electricity began in childhood, sparked by early experiences with both its power and its dangers. That curiosity guided me to study electrical engineering and, later, to pioneer technologies that mitigate harmful resonance and harmonics—phenomena once responsible for equipment damage and fires. In the 1980s, my research introduced the concepts of active and virtual resistance, leading to the world’s first hybrid active power filter using an inverter as an active resistance or impedance. The journey was not without setbacks: an early experiment ended in a shoot-through failure that destroyed our prototype. Yet that incident became a turning point, inspiring deeper investigation into inverter (or converter) technology and their fault tolerance and ultimately leading to the invention of the Z-source converter and inverter. For the first time, traditionally forbidden shoot-through switching states would no longer destroy inverters and could be even safely utilized rather than avoided.

In recent years, the devastating wildfires caused by downed power lines and faulty equipment in California, Hawaii, Florida, and beyond have reinforced the urgency of this work. Extending the Z-source concept to the broader power grid, we have demonstrated that if all power sources and components—transformers, overhead lines, underground cables, and power factor correction capacitors—can be made or controlled to behave like Z-sources, the grid can dynamically limit fault currents within microseconds, suppress sparks, and prevent resonances, instability, and fires.

This talk reflects on both a technological evolution and a personal mission: to make electricity not only powerful and efficient, but fundamentally safe and resilient. Looking forward, we aim to make the future power grid AI-ready—capable of AI-based modeling, design, optimization, operation, and control. By transforming all passive grid components into active and intelligent elements and developing new power and energy theories that generate rich data on system-level interactions, we can move toward an energy infrastructure that is truly adaptive, intelligent, and secure.

Plenary Session 3

Shin-ichiro Sakai

Presentation Title: Looking Back on SLIM's Moon Landing, Looking Ahead to the Future

Biography

Shin-ichiro Sakai is a professor at The Institute of Space and Astronautical Science(ISAS), JAXA. He received the Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Tokyo in 2000. He joined ISAS in 2001, became associate professor in 2005, and became professor in 2019. His research fields are the spacecraft guidance, navigation and control issues and electro-magnetic formation flying. From 2016 to 2024, he was also a project manager of JAXA's small lunar lander "SLIM" for pin-point landing demonstration.

Abstract

The Smart Lander for Investigating the Moon (SLIM) was launched by the H-IIA vehicle on September 7, 2023, and made a precision lunar landing on January 20, 2024 (JST). The landing precision was evaluated to be within ~10 m at an altitude of approximately 50m from the Moon surface, far exceeding the target landing accuracy of 100 m and realizing the world’s first pinpoint landing. In this plenary speech, we will review the achievements of SLIM's lunar landing and discuss how those achievements can contribute to future space development.

Plenary Session 4

Sehoon Oh

Presentation Title:Robot Control in the Era of Physical AI: Bridging the Gap Between Learning and Precision Control

Biography

Dr. Sehoon Oh is a Professor at the Department of Robotics and Mechatronics at the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), where he directs the Motion Control Lab. He received his Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering from The University of Tokyo. His academic career includes a visiting scholar appointment at The University of Texas at Austin, a guest scientist visit at the German Aerospace Center (DLR), and postdoctoral and research experience at The University of Tokyo, as well as industry experience at Samsung Heavy Industries. Dr. Oh's research focuses on advanced control and mechatronic system development for both robotic systems and mobility platforms. His work emphasizes high-precision servo control, model-based and optimal control design, disturbance rejection, and principled integration of data-driven methods into complex dynamical systems. By bridging rigorous control theory with large-scale experimental validation, he aims to develop interpretable, high-performance motion control architectures for next-generation robots and intelligent mobility systems.

Abstract

The rapid advancement of AI-driven humanoid robots has attracted tremendous attention worldwide. However, current AI humanoids face fundamental limitations: while they excel at balancing and locomotion through learning-based trajectory generation built on position control frameworks, they lack the ability to perform precise force-interactive tasks required in real industrial settings. From a motion control perspective, robot control is distinguished by two critical challenges - the inherently complex, multi-objective nature of robotic tasks and the strong nonlinearity of the target systems. This talk addresses the critical "missing pieces" in humanoid robotics by examining what differentiates robot control from conventional high-precision control across four key dimensions: (1) nonlinear/LPV systems versus LTI systems, (2) the challenge of system identification in complex robotic structures, (3) MIMO multi-task control versus SISO single-task control, and (4) the necessity of combined position/force control beyond pure position control. By advancing these approaches, I will demonstrate how the boundaries of conventional robot control can be overcome - ultimately enabling robots to accurately execute complex tasks involving both precise motion and force interaction in real-world environments.

Plenary Session 5

Akira Chiba

Presentation Title:Developments of Bearingless Motor and Drives

Biography

Akira Chiba (IEEE Fellow 2007, S'82- M'88- SM'97) received the B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan, in 1983, 1985, and 1988, respectively.
In 1988, he joined the Tokyo University of Science as a Research Associate in the Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology. Since 2010, he has been a Professor with the School of Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology. He will be retired on March 2026 at 65 years old retirement. In 2025 fall, Tokyo Institute of Technology merged with a medical university and changed the name as the Institute of Science Tokyo.
He has been studying magnetically suspended bearingless ac motors, super high-speed motor drives, and rare-earth-free-motors for hybrid and pure electric vehicles. He has so far authored or coauthored more than 1229 papers, including the first book on Magnetic Bearings and Bearingless Drives from Elsevier in 2005.
Dr. Chiba is the recipient of the First Prize Paper Award from the Electrical Machine Committee in the IEEE IAS in 2011 on a rare-earth-free motor, the First and Third Prize Paper Awards from IEEE Open Journal of Industry Applications in 2024 and 2025, respectively, the second and third place Best Paper Awards in IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion in 2016 and 2017, respectively, the IEEJ Prize Paper Awards in 1998, 2005, 2018, 2023, and 2020 IEEE Nikola Tesla Award, that is one of the IEEE Technical Field Awards. In 2023, he received the IEEE PES Cyril Veinott Electromechanical Energy Conversion Award.
He served as the Secretary, Vice-Chair, Vice-Chair-Chair-Elect, Chair, and Past-Chair in the Motor Sub-Committee in the IEEE PES during 2007–2016. He has organized the Panel sessions and the combo sessions to activate the Motor Sub-Committee. He was the Technical Chair in IEEE IEMDC 2017 held in Miami, FL, USA, that was hosted by IEEE PES. He received the 2020 Distinguished Service Award from the Electric Machinery Committee in IEEE PES. He served as an Editor in IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion in 2013-2024.
He served as the Secretary, Vice Chair, Chair, and Past Chair in IEEE-IAS Electric Machine Committee from 2016 to 2023. He improved the relationship between PES and IAS electric machine related committees. He was the ECCE Vice-Chair in 2016–2019. He was TCPRC and an Associate Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications during 2020-2021 and 2011- 2019, respectively. He served as one of the IEEE IAS Fellow Committee Executives from 2017 to 2020. He served as a Chair in IEEE-IAS Japan Chapter during 2010–2011.
He was a Member, Chair, and Past-Chair in the IEEE Nikola Tesla Technical Field Award Committee during 2009–2014. He was a Member in IEEE Power Medal Award Committee during 2021-2023.
He was the Founding Chair in the Motor Technical Committee in Japan Society of Automotive Society and served as the chair during 2012–2018. He was the Chair of the IEE-Japan Electric Machine Committee from 2020 to 2023. He has been serving as an Examiner in the Nagamori Award since 2015. He served as one of co-chairs in the National Steering Committee in ICEMS 2024.
He was the Department Head of Electrical and Electronics Department during 2014 and 2016 and led MOOC project of the “introduction of Electrical and Electronics Engineering”, released in May 2017 through EDX. He has led active learning with the Handbook application in undergraduate and graduate course lectures. He was Head of the Electrical and Electronics Course in the Graduate School. He is Fellow in IEE-Japan. He is the first IEEE Fellow and the first Nikola Tesla Award recipient with citations including a word of “bearingless”.

Abstract

The technical developments for bearingless motors and drives are reviewed. The presenter has started bearingless motor research and development since 1980’s. This paper is the second review paper of researches and developments of bearingless motors. This paper covers some topics. In this paper, developments of magnetic geared bearingless motors, axial gap bearingless motors, switched reluctance bearingless motors, winding variations like separated, combined, no back emf, and some others, passive magnetic suspension, diamagnetic material applications, position sensorless strategies are included. The presenter is the first IEEE Fellow and Nikola Tesla Award recipient with citations including "bearingless".

Plenary Session 6

Yuting Gao

Presentation Title:Research on High-Inertia Brushless Doubly-Fed Flywheel Energy Storage Motor System

Biography

Yuting Gao (Senior Member, IEEE) received the B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China, in 2012 and 2017, respectively. From 2017 to 2023, she was a Post-Doctoral Fellow at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany, and Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan, respectively. Since 2023, she has been a Professor at Wuhan University, China. She serves as an Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications and IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification. She has authored/coauthored more than 80 technical papers. Moreover, she is a recipient of the Science and Technology Invention Award (1st prize) from China Electrotechnical Society, the Gold Medal at the International Invention Exhibition in Geneva, Switzerland, and the Best Paper Award at the International Conference on Electrical Machines. Her research interests include the design and control of flux modulation permanent-magnet machines.

Abstract

Under the goals of "peak carbon dioxide emissions" and "carbon neutrality" in China, the traditional power system is transforming into a new type characterized by a high proportion of renewable energy sources and power electronic equipment. This new power system urgently requires physical inertia support as well as coordinated frequency and voltage support under disturbances, with energy storage systems serving as the core for achieving these goals. Compared to other forms of energy storage, flywheel energy storage offers advantages in enhancing system inertia and short-circuit capacity, as well as achieving coordinated frequency-voltage support. Moreover, it is environmentally friendly, has a short construction period, and boasts a long service life. Among the various types of flywheel energy storage motors, the brushless doubly-fed flywheel energy storage motor stands out with unique advantages, such as the absence of brush-slip rings and the requirement for only a converter with slip power. Therefore, research has been conducted on the brushless doubly-fed flywheel energy storage motor system. Initially, theoretical analysis and comparison of rotor structures for brushless doubly-fed motors are carried out. Subsequently, optimal designs for the stator and rotor are developed targeting multiple design objectives. Next, novel control strategies are designed to achieve rapid active and reactive power responses. Finally, the results of steady-state and dynamic experimental tests are presented.

Plenary Session 7

Prof. Sewan Choi

Presentation Title:EV OBC at a Turning Point: Beyond Two-Stage Limits to De-Risked, Cost-Competitive Single-Stage Architectures

Biography

Dr. Sewan Choi is an IEEE Fellow and a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Information Engineering at Seoul National University of Science and Technology. He received the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from Texas A&M University in 1995 and has led both industrial and academic innovation in power electronics for more than three decades. Dr. Choi has served as President of the KIPE in 2021, TPC Chair of ICPE2019, and Chair of the IEEE PELS Seoul Section. He also served as Associate Editors of IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, Industry Applications, and JESPT. He was the recipient of several IEEE Conference and Journal paper awards including TPEL First and Second Prize Paper Awards. His research focuses on high-power-density, high-efficiency power conversion for EV on-board/off-board charging and advanced e-mobility power systems.

Abstract

The EV on-board charger (OBC) market is growing rapidly, while higher power levels and bidirectional functions are becoming mainstream requirements. Conventional two-stage OBCs remain the baseline, but their intermediate energy-storage approach-often dominated by aluminum electrolytic capacitors-continues to constrain packaging and long-term robustness under ripple/thermal stress. Recent commercial implementations also indicate that highly integrated single-stage directions are no longer purely academic, signaling an industry inflection point. This plenary first summarizes the status and trends of EV OBC architectures, then presents our single-stage architecture and implementation methodology aimed at scalable commercialization. The core contribution is a practical de-risking approach that makes single-stage designs viable in three decisive aspects: stable control and fast dynamics across operating conditions, robust bidirectional/V2X operation under grid and load nonidealities, and cost-competitive integration that reduces system cost. Comparative analysis and prototype validation results are used to substantiate the approach and clarify the remaining engineering gaps.