Regents Professor Ned Mohan named INAE fellow
Regents Professor Ned Mohan was recently elected Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering. The honor recognizes Mohan for his “contributions to the integration of electronics into power systems and innovations in power engineering education.”
As a scientist and teacher specializing in energy systems and power electronics, Mohan has adopted a holistic approach to carrying out the University of Minnesota’s dual missions of research and education. His keen awareness of the interwoven nature of energy generation, power, control, and access to electricity, has informed much of his pioneering inventions from the current-shaping circuit for supplying power from photovoltaic systems (a precursor to the current-shaping circuits in current day laptops) to the ultra-compact DC-DC converter for aircraft, funded by NASA and patented by the University in 2003. And these are just two of the several groundbreaking inventions and innovations that can be credited to Mohan.
As committed as Mohan is to research, he is also dedicated to his students and their success, and to education and pedagogy. Many of his students are pursuing academic careers in prestigious institutions in the United States and abroad, while others are working in leading companies across the United States and abroad (Apple, Tesla, and General Motors to name a few), and yet others have started companies in the area. Having mentored close to 200 graduate students, Mohan’s impact is on a global scale.
Mohan is a strong believer in sharing knowledge and has given guest lectures, and keynote addresses at conferences and symposia. He was instrumental in the development of 19 graduate level video courses prepared by experts in the field to function as resources to students and practicing engineers. With the support of an Office of Naval Research grant, these lectures are widely accessible to students across the world. These courses are disseminated via CUSP (Consortium of Universities for Sustainable Power), an organization created by Mohan comprising 450 faculty from 235 universities in the United States. He is the author of six widely used textbooks that have been translated into nine languages and implemented as standard texts in universities in the United States. They are required texts in five of ECE’s senior level and graduate courses. The INAE fellowship is yet another honor recognizing Mohan’s enduring commitment to research and education.