Mi named IEEE Fellow

June 18, 2012

Maximizing fuel economy. For many, it鈥檚 a top-of-mind topic as fuel prices continue to rise. For Chris Mi, professor of electrical and computer engineering (ECE) and director of the DOE GATE Center for Electric Drive Transportation, it鈥檚 a daily quest to minimize fuel consumption and reduce emissions, while saving consumers money.

Chris Mi

For his contributions to hybrid electric vehicle modeling and power control, Mi has been named a Fellow of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the first regular faculty member in the ECE department to receive such an honor. Fellow is the highest grade of membership and is recognized by the technical community as a prestigious and important career achievement.

鈥淭his is a lifetime goal for many in the field,鈥 Mi said. 鈥淚t is a very high honor to be recognized by IEEE in this way.鈥

Mi鈥檚 research interests have focused on electric and hybrid vehicles since arriving at UM-Dearborn in 2001.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a relatively new subject, the marriage of mechanical engineering and electrical engineering,鈥 Mi said. 鈥淲hen do you choose to run on the battery, or the engine, or both? It鈥檚 about maximizing fuel economy, minimizing emission and maximizing the lifetime of key components like the battery.鈥

He has sought to answer those questions with companies and the U.S. Army, where he and his research team helped increase fuel savings by 10-15 percent on plugin hybrids by developing an advanced algorithm for the power controls.

In 2011, Mi became director of the newly established Center for Electric Drive Transportation. In this role, he will develop partnerships with industry leaders while continuing to build the university鈥檚 doctoral and master鈥檚 degree programs in automotive systems engineering.

Mi is an expert in the field of hybrid electric vehicles and plugin hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs/PHEVs). He has led tutorials, seminars and workshops for the Society of Automotive Engineers, the IEEE, the National Society of Professional Engineers and the National Science Foundation.

He also is an active member of IEEE. Mi was chair and vice chair of the IEEE Southeastern Michigan Section and general chair of the 5th IEEE Vehicle Power and Propulsion Conference, and has served as associate editor and senior editor of several IEEE publications.

Mi鈥檚 recent honor from IEEE is a distinction reserved for select members whose extraordinary accomplishments in an IEEE field of interest are deemed fitting of the prestigious grade elevation, according to the organization鈥檚 website. No more than one-tenth of 1 percent of members are selected as Fellows each year.

鈥淭he honor of becoming a Fellow of IEEE speaks highly to the work Dr. Mi has accomplished in the field of electric and hybrid electric vehicles,鈥 said Tony England, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science and IEEE Fellow. 鈥淒r. Mi is a tremendous asset to 每日大赛 as we move forward with electric drive vehicle research.鈥

Mi earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering from Northwestern Polytechnic University, Xi鈥檃n, Shaanxi, China. He received his doctoral degree in electrical and computer engineering from University of Toronto. He is a member of Eta Kappa Nu, an electrical and computer engineering honor society.