Media

The University of Hong Kong Electrical and Electronic Engineering,
Professor Ron S.Y. Hui to receive the 2015 IEEE William E. Newell Power Electronics Award

28 Jul 2014

Professor Ron S.Y. Hui, Chair of Power Electronics, Philip K H Wong Wilson K L Wong Professorship in Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering of The University of Hong Kong, will be the 2015 recipient of the IEEE William E. Newell Power Electronics Award.

The Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers (IEEE), which is the world’s largest international professional association for the advancement of technology, has just announced that Professor Hui would be the 2015 recipient of the IEEE William E. Newell Power Electronics Award.  Such award was granted the “IEEE Technical Field Award status” in 2005 by the IEEE as the most prestigious award for the field of Power Electronics.

Professor Hui will be the first Hong Kong scientist to receive this Award. The IEEE Technical Field Awards are awarded for contributions or leadership in specific fields of interest of the IEEE. The citation for Professor Hui’s achievement is:

 “For contributions to power electronics applications in planar wireless charging and sustainable lighting technology.”

Professor Norman C. Tien, Dean of Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, said that: “Sustainability is identified as one of the Faculty’s strategic research areas and we are fortunate to have Professor Ron Hui’s leadership in this area. He has developed a new concept called Electric Spring, which can help stabilize the power grid allowing increased use of renewable energy sources and thus make a significant contribution in sustainability.  Our Faculty is very proud and grateful to hear that Professor Hui will receive the 2015 IEEE William E. Newell Power Electronics Award. “

Professor Hui is well known for his highly innovative and visionary research, with strong emphasis on energy saving and environmental protection. His inventions underpin the key dimensions of Qi (the World’s first wireless power standard) with free-positioning and local charging features. The Qi standard was launched in 2008 by the Wireless Power Consortium, now comprising over 210 company members worldwide. He is also the pioneer of sustainable lighting technology that emphasizes not only high energy efficiency, but also long product lifetime and recyclability. The photo-electro-thermal theory for Light-Emitting Diode (LED) systems that he developed has become the design tool used by lighting industry.

Professor Ron Hui is currently the Philip Wong Wilson Wong Professor of Electrical Engineering and Chair Professor of Power Electronics at the University of Hong Kong. In 2010, Prof. Hui received the IEEE Rudolf Chope R&D Award and the IET Crompton Medal. He is a Fellow of the IEEE and is a member of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.

For more information and interview arrangement, please contact Ms Jolly Li, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, HKU (Tel: 2241 5953 / E-mail: jollyli@hku.hk); or Ms Rhea Leung, Communications and Public Affairs Office, HKU (Tel: 2857 8555 / Email: rhea.leung@hku.hk).