Thomas Lipo



Thomas Lipo

Grainger Professor Emeritus of Power Electronics and Electrical Machines, University of Wisconsin-Madision, Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-Madision

An international authority on the design and analysis of electric machines and power electronics drives for over 40 years, Thomas A. Lipo’s innovative contributions have advanced the state of the art and improved the efficiency and reliability of motors and drives. Prof. Lipo began his pioneering work in 1968 with the analysis, simulation, and control of early alternating-current motor drives, impacting electric traction control for subway cars and open pit mining equipment, among other applications. He has pioneered or improved upon electrical machine topologies, including flux switched machines, high torque vernier machines, axial flux permanent magnet machines, brushless doubly fed reluctance machines, open winding machines, and double air gap machines. He also pioneered modern, multiphase fault-tolerant machines, demonstrating that a new family of five-phase induction and synchronous reluctance motors could provide more torque and higher robustness compared to traditional three-phase motors. Prof. Lipo’s work with his students on permanent magnet motors has provided a key element for the design of traction applications in hybrid and electric vehicles, known as the “characteristic current.” Also among his trend-setting research that has helped move power technology from concept to practical applications, Prof. Lipo and his students were the first to investigate methods of eliminating the effects of input voltage unbalance on motor drives. This work has been widely referenced and used in many commercial applications. In 1980, Prof. Lipo cofounded the Wisconsin Electric Machines and Power Electronics Consortium at the University of Wisconsin, WI, USA, which has become an internationally renowned collaborative effort of industry sponsors, professors, and students in the research and development of new power electronics technologies.

An IEEE Life Fellow and member of the US National Academy of Engineering and the UK Royal Academy of Engineering, Prof. Lipo is an Emeritus Professor with Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.

Here are some of his major awards and honors:

October 1986, Outstanding Achievement Award of the IEEE Industry Applications Society, Presented at the 1986 IAS Annual Meeting, Denver CO, Sept. 30 1986, “For Contributions to Industrial AC Drives”

January 1987, IEEE Fellow, Fellow Citation: “For Contributions to the Understanding of Electrical Machinery, In Particular Solid-State AC Motor Drives”

April 1990, Appointment as the W.W. Grainger Professor of Power Electronics and Electrical Machines, University of Wisconsin-Madison

June 1990, William E. Newell Award of the IEEE Power Electronics Society, Presented at the 1990 IEEE PELS Power Electronics Specialist’s Conference, June 14, 1990, “For Contributions to Power Electronics”

February 1995, IEEE Nicola Tesla Field Award, Presented at the 1995 Power Engineering Society Winter Meeting, February 1995, “For pioneering contributions to simulation of and application to electric machinery in solid-state ac motor drives”

June 2000, IEEE Third Millennium Medal for Outstanding Achievements and Contributions to Power Electronics, IEEE Power Electronics Society

September 2001, Senator of the University Honoris Causa, University of Maribor, Maribor Slovenia

November 2002, Elected Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (Great Britain) (only one of 25 US members of this esteemed academy)

May 2004, Hilldale Award in Physical Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison (most prestigious award by given by UW in the physical sciences. First EE department faculty member ever to achieve this honor)

Oct. 2008, Elected Fellow of the National Academy of Engineering (USA)(only the second UW EE faculty member ever to be elected)

Sept. 2008–Dec. 2008, Fulbright Fellow, NTSU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology), Trondheim Norway

July 2009-July 2014, WCU Distinguished Visiting Professor, Hanyang University, Ansan-City, Korea

July 2010, The Royal Academy of Engineering Distinguished Visiting Fellowship, University of Sheffield, England

September 2011, EPE Power Electronics and Motion Control Conference, Outstanding Achievement Award, Ohrid Macedonia

February 2013, Elected Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (USA)

September 2014, Recipient of the IEEE Medal in Power Engineering

Suggested book categories

Professor Lipo has suggested books in the following categories:

Power Electronics