The prestigious award recognizes individuals for their, “outstanding contributions to the technology associated with the generation, transmission, distribution, application, and utilization of electric power for the betterment of society.”

Divan, holding the John E Pippin Chair and serving as a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in the Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is being honored for his significant contributions to advanced power conversion technologies for the modern electric power grid. He will be celebrated during the IEEE Vision, Innovation, and Challenges Summit and Honors Ceremony in Boston on May 3, 2024.

With over 40 years of experience in academia and industry, Divan is a globally recognized authority in power electronics, power systems, smart grids, and distributed control of power systems. He is currently the director of the Center for Distributed Energy at Georgia Tech, leading advanced research and technology development aimed at transforming electricity delivery and utilization.

His extensive portfolio includes over 85 issued and pending patents, as well as 400 refereed publications. Through his research and entrepreneurial endeavors, he has played a pivotal role in advancing power grid monitoring, analytics, and optimization.

He is a member of the of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, the National Academies Board on Energy and Environmental Systems, and the National Academies (NASEM) Committee on the Future of Electric Power in the United States. Additionally, Divan is a Fellow of IEEE and has previously served as the president of the IEEE Power Electronics Society. He has been honored with the IEEE William E Newell Field Medal and IEEE Hingorani Custom Power Medal.

As the International Chair of the IEEE Empower a Billion Lives (EBL) recurring global competition, Divian actively contributed to the development of scalable energy access solutions. His expertise was recognized at the White House Electrification Summit in 2022, and he has shared insights on electric grids worldwide, with notable appearances including the 2016 Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference (or COP 22) meeting in Morocco and the United Nations Global Solutions Summit in 2023.

Divan is an established entrepreneur, having started several companies, including Varentec, which was funded by leading green-tech Venture Capital firm Khosla Ventures and renowned investor Bill Gates. He has founded or seeded several other new ventures including GridBlock, GigaGrid, Soft Switching Technologies, Innovolt, and Smart Wires, which together have raised >$500M in venture funding.

He is the first member of the Georgia Tech faculty to be honored with the IEEE Medal in Power Engineering, an accolade that has been presented since 2010.