The IEEE Board of Directors shapes the future direction of IEEE and is committed to ensuring IEEE remains a strong and vibrant organization—serving the needs of its members and the engineering and technology community worldwide—while fulfilling the IEEE mission of advancing technology for the benefit of humanity.

This article features IEEE Board of Directors members A. Matt Francis, Tom Murad, and Christopher Root.

IEEE Senior Member A. Matt Francis

Director, IEEE Region 5: Southwestern U.S.

Moriah Hargrove Anders

Francis’s primary technology focus is extreme environment and high-temperature integrated circuits. His groundbreaking work has pushed the boundaries of electronics, leading to computers operating in low Earth orbit for more than a year on the International Space Station and on jet engines. Francis and his team have designed and built some of the world’s most rugged semiconductors and systems.

He is currently helping explore new computing frontiers in supersonic and hypersonic flight, geothermal energy exploration, and molten salt reactors. Well versed in shifting technology from idea to commercial application, Francis has secured and led projects with the U.S. Air Force, DARPA, NASA, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, and private-sector customers.

Francis’s influence extends beyond his own ventures. He is a member of the IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems, IEEE Computer, and IEEE Electronics Packaging societies, demonstrating his commitment to industry and continuous learning.

He attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville for both his undergraduate and graduate degrees. He joined IEEE while at the university and was president of the IEEE–Eta Kappa Nu honor society’s Gamma Phi chapter. Francis’s other past volunteer roles include serving as chair of the IEEE Ozark Section, which covers Northwest Arkansas, and also as a member of the IEEE-USA Entrepreneurship Policy Innovation Committee.

His deep-rooted belief in the power of collaboration is evident in his willingness to share knowledge and support aspiring entrepreneurs. Francis is proud to have helped found a robotics club (an IEEE MGA Local Group) in his rural Elkins, Ark., community and to have served on steering committees for programs including IEEE TryEngineering and IEEE-USA’s Innovation, Research, and Workforce Conferences. He serves as an elected city council member for his town, and has cofounded two non-profits, supporting his community and the state of Arkansas.

Francis’s journey from entrepreneur to industry leader is a testament to his determination and innovative mindset. He has received numerous awards including the IEEE-USA Entrepreneur Achievement Award for Leadership in Entrepreneurial Spirit, IEEE Region 5 Directors Award, and IEEE Region 5 Outstanding Individual Member Achievement Award.

IEEE Senior Member Tom Murad

Director, IEEE Region 7: Canada

Siemens Canada

Murad is a respected technology leader, award-winning educator, and distinguished speaker on engineering, skills development, and education. Recently retired, he has 40 years of experience in professional engineering and technical operations executive management, including more than 10 years of academic and R&D work in industrial controls and automation.

He received his doctorate (Ph.D.) degree in power electronics and industrial controls from Loughborough University of Technology in the U.K.

Murad has held high-level positions in several international engineering and industrial organizations, and he contributed to many global industrial projects. His work on projects in power utilities, nuclear power, oil and gas, mining, automotive, and infrastructure industries has directly impacted society and positively contributed to the economy. He is a strong advocate of innovation and creativity, particularly in the areas of digitalization, smart infrastructure, and Industry 4.0. He continues his academic career as an adjunct professor at University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada.

His dedication to enhancing the capabilities of new generations of engineers is a source of hope and optimism. His work in significantly improving the quality and relevance of engineering and technical education in Canada is a testament to his commitment to the future of the engineering profession and community. For that he has been assigned by the Ontario Government to be a member of the board of directors of the Post Secondary Education Quality Assessment Board (PEQAB).

Murad is a member of the IEEE Technology and Engineering Management, IEEE Education, IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems, and IEEE Vehicular Technology societies, the IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu honor society, and the Editorial Advisory Board Chair for the IEEE Canadian Review Magazine. His accomplishments show his passion for the engineering profession and community.

He is a member of the Order of Honor of the Professional Engineers of Ontario, Canada, Fellow of Engineers Canada, Fellow of Engineering Institutes of Canada (EIC), and received the IEEE Canada J.M. Ham Outstanding Engineering Educator Award, among other recognitions highlighting his impact on the field.

IEEE Senior Member Christopher Root

Director, Division VII

Vermont Electric Power Company and Shana Louiselle

Root has been in the electric utility industry for more than 40 years and is an expert in power system operations, engineering, and emergency response. He has vast experience in the operations, construction, and maintenance of transmission and distribution utilities, including all phases of the engineering and design of power systems. He has shared his expertise through numerous technical presentations on utility topics worldwide.

Currently an industry advisor and consultant, Root focuses on the crucial task of decarbonizing electricity production. He is engaged in addressing the challenges of balancing an increasing electrical market and dependence on renewable energy with the need to provide low-cost, reliable electricity on demand.

Root’s journey with IEEE began in 1983 when he attended his first meeting as a graduate student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, in Troy, N.Y. Since then, he has served in leadership roles such as treasurer, secretary, and member-at-large of the IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES). His commitment to the IEEE mission and vision is evident in his efforts to revitalize the dormant IEEE PES Boston Chapter in 2007 and his instrumental role in establishing the IEEE PES Green Mountain Section in Vermont in 2015. He also is a member of the editorial board of the IEEE Power & Energy Magazine and the IEEE–Eta Kappa Nu honor society.

Root’s contributions and leadership in the electric utility industry have been recognized with the IEEE PES Leadership in Power Award and the PES Meritorious Service Award.

The IEEE Board of Directors shapes the future direction of IEEE and is committed to ensuring IEEE remains a strong and vibrant organization—serving the needs of its members and the engineering and technology community worldwide—while fulfilling the IEEE mission of advancing technology for the benefit of humanity.

This article features IEEE Board of Directors members Deepak Mathur, Saifur Rahman, and Aylin Yener.

IEEE Senior Member Deepak Mathur

Vice President, Member and Geographic Activities

Jaideep

Mathur has nearly 40 years of professional experience in electronics and telecommunications at India’s premier public sector oil and gas company, engaged in the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons. During his tenure, most recently as chief general manager, he successfully led multidisciplinary teams through significant IT and communications projects. These include supervisory control and data acquisition, online and real-time monitoring systems, WiMax-based broadband wireless access systems, and GPS/GSM-based vehicle tracking systems. Mathur also has experience managing and working on high-tech oil well logging systems, which analyze the properties of the subsurface to explore the possibility of hydrocarbons.

Mathur has served in many IEEE leadership roles at the region, section, council, and global levels. A member of the IEEE Industry Applications Society, the IEEE Signal Processing Society and the IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology, he was the director of IEEE Region 10 (Asia and Pacific), a member of the Board of Governors of the IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology (2013–2015), and chair of the IEEE India Council (2015–2016). In his current role with IEEE Member and Geographic Activities, Mathur focuses on supporting IEEE members, as well as developing IEEE membership recruitment and retention strategies.

Mathur is a member of IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu, the honor society. Throughout his IEEE journey, he has received several prestigious recognitions, including the Region 10 Outstanding Volunteer Award, the MGA Achievement Award, and the India Council Lifetime Achievement Award.

Mathur is currently a professor of practice and a member of the academic council at Marwadi University, in Rajkot, India.

IEEE Life Fellow Saifur Rahman

2023 IEEE President

Chelsea Seeber

Rahman is the founding director of the Advanced Research Institute and the Center for Energy and the Global Environment at Virginia Tech, where he researches renewable energy, sensor integration, smart grids, and smart cities. His work promotes clean-tech solutions for climate sustainability, and his six-point solution to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the electric power sector is being implemented in varying degrees in more than 100 countries.

A prolific lecturer, Rahman has made more than 850 presentations at conferences and invited speaking engagements in more than 30 countries. His visionary and innovative leadership approaches and strategies have earned him global recognition. In 2020, he spoke at five different webinars in five countries on four continents in one day.

As the 2023 IEEE president, his main priorities were to position the organization as a force for change and to make it more relevant to technology professionals worldwide. Rahman feels that IEEE, as the world’s largest organization of technical professionals, has both the opportunity and the responsibility to address the causes of, mitigate the impact of, and adapt to climate change. His forward-thinking strategies led to the creation of the IEEE Climate Change website and helped foster collaboration among technology and engineering professionals, policymakers, and other organizations to foster a dialogue on sustainable energy policies and practices. Previously, Rahman served as the vice president of IEEE Publication Services and Products (2006) and president of the IEEE Power & Energy Society (2018 and 2019).

Rahman has published more than 160 journal papers with over 20,000 citations. He is the founding editor in chief of the IEEE Electrification Magazine and IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy. He has also received several IEEE recognitions, including the Power & Energy Society Service Award, PES Outstanding Power Engineering Educator Award, Technical Activities Board Hall of Honor, and IEEE Millennium Medal.

IEEE Fellow Aylin Yener

Director, Division IX

Aylin Yener

Yener, an endowed chair professor at The Ohio State University College of Engineering, aims to connect the universe and everyone and everything in it by designing systems that ensure secure and reliable information transfer in a sustainable manner. Her work in communications, information theory, and artificial intelligence covers a wide range of system design topics, from network optimization to security and privacy of information to robust and safe machine-learning algorithms in networked settings.

Of particular interest to Yener is next-generation wireless communication and how to create an energy-neutral digital society. She also works to ensure digital connectivity for underserved populations and creating fair and private AI algorithms to aid human ingenuity.

Yener has been an active IEEE volunteer for more than two decades, with experience in membership, finances, publications, conferences, and outreach. She has served as president of the IEEE Information Theory Society(2020) and is an active member of the IEEE Signal Processing, IEEE Communications, and IEEE Vehicular Technology societies. As director of Division IX, she advocates for deeper cooperation among societies by sharing best practices and facilitating the cross-pollination of ideas.

Yener has been an IEEE distinguished lecturer and is currently the editor in chief of IEEE Transactions on Green Communications and Networking. She has delivered more than 60 technical keynotes and invited lectures in the past 10 years. Yener is committed to a broader educational impact, having cofounded the IEEE North American School of Information Theory, which offers graduate students and postdoctoral researchers the opportunity to learn from leading experts. Yener’s IEEE recognitions include the Marconi Prize Paper Award, Communication Theory Technical Achievement Award, and Women in Communications Engineering Outstanding Achievement Award. She is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of the Science Academy of Turkey.