Dr. Robert S. Balog, an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been elected Member-at-Large of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Power Electronics Society (PELS) Administrative Committee.
As Member-at-Large, Balog’s duties include voting responsibilities as part of the Administrative Committee governing the society. His term is from Jan. 1, 2015 to Dec. 31, 2017. Balog’s previous roles in PELS include chair of the Graduates Of the Last Decade (GOLD) program as well as Membership co-chair.
Balog is affiliated with the Electric Power and Power Electronics Group in the electrical and computer engineering department. He received his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Rutgers University in 1996 and his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 2006. He has more than seven years of industry experience, including launching a technology startup company commercializing his work in residential scale solar inverters. He holds 15 issued and pending U.S. patents and is a licensed professional engineer.
Balog is the director of the Renewable Energy and Advanced Power Electronics Research Laboratory and is currently investigating novel balance of system technologies to holistically address the cells-to-grid interface challenges in solar energy. Honors include receiving the 2011 Rutgers University Distinguished Engineer Award, being named an Ernest A. Reid Fellow, the first IEEE International Telecommunications Energy Conference (INTELEC) Fellow and receiving two Grainger Outstanding Power Engineering Awards. He was recently selected for membership in the External Body of the Hungarian Academy of Science.
The PELS is one of the IEEE technical societies with the broadest technical and social impact as electrical energy impacts nearly every single person in the world. For more than 25 years, PELS has facilitated and guided the development and innovation in power electronics technology. This technology encompasses the effective use of electronic components, the application of circuit theory and design techniques, and the development of analytical tools toward efficient conversion, control and conditioning of electric power. Their over 7,000 members include preeminent researchers and practitioners, many of whom are distinguished award winners including IEEE Field Award winners and members of the National Academy of Engineering. IEEE PELS Publishes the IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, a top referenced journal among all IEEE publications.