The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), within the framework of the Industrial Electronics Society, has named Óscar Lucía Gil, a researcher at the I3A (Aragon Institute for Engineering Research), as a Fellow for his contributions to power conversion for induction heating. This is the first time that the IEEE has appointed someone from the University of Zaragoza in the field of Power Electronics, and it is noteworthy that this has been achieved at a very young age.
IEEE Fellow is a distinction reserved for IEEE members with extraordinary achievements in any of the fields of interest of this scientific society. Each year, less than 0.1% of the IEEE membership is selected.
Óscar Lucía is an industrial engineer, professor at the University of Zaragoza and president of the Academia Joven de España. His lines of research focus on areas of current relevance such as energy conversion for electric vehicles, renewable energies, household appliances and induction heating systems and biomedical electronic systems.
His appointment is an outstanding recognition of his research work in power electronics, achieving the highest degree of IEEE membership.
Power electronics play a key role in the efficient processing of electrical energy. Today more than 70% of electrical energy is processed with power electronic converters in important areas such as renewable energy generation, industry, electric vehicles or electrosurgical systems, and makes a major contribution to the electrification of our homes. ‘Processing energy efficiently has and will have a major environmental, industrial, economic and social impact. This personal recognition also highlights the importance of power electronics for our society,’ says Óscar Lucía.
The IEEE has nearly 500,000 professional members from more than 160 countries and is the world's largest technical professional organisation dedicated to technological progress for the benefit of humanity. Each year it makes nominations of distinguished members for their contributions to knowledge and society as a whole. Each nomination is based on the nomination of a Distinguished Fellow, must achieve international endorsements and pass a highly competitive dual evaluation process.
Oscar Lucia's appointment as an IEEE Distinguished Fellow is recognition of his hard work and dedication to research. He found his scientific vocation when he discovered the potential of his studies to have a positive impact on society. He is part of the Power Electronics and Microelectronics Group (GEPM) at the I3A, where they research with the aim of processing electrical energy as efficiently as possible.
This recognition is linked to its work in the design of induction heating systems, both industrial and domestic. The most representative application is the induction cookers developed with BSH Electrodomésticos España, which includes brands such as Balay, Bosch and Siemens, among others. This has enabled the design of more efficient systems with better performance for the user. He has also made a decisive contribution to the University of Zaragoza being recognised on several occasions as a leading institution worldwide in research into household appliances by the report ‘The State of Innovation’, published by Clarivate. Óscar Lucía has also made significant contributions to the advancement of power conversion technology in electric vehicles and in biomedical applications for cancer treatment, achieving an important scientific, social and industrial impact.
Óscar Lucía Gil was born in Zaragoza on 29 August 1983. He is an industrial engineer from the University of Zaragoza, ranked number one in his class, and holds a PhD in Industrial Technologies, with the Extraordinary Doctorate Award. He has carried out several research stays in the USA (Virginia Tech) and Germany (TU Berlin). Currently, he is a University Professor in the Electronic Technology Area at the University of Zaragoza and a researcher at the I3A (Aragon Institute for Engineering Research), within the Power Electronics and Microelectronics Group (GEPM).
His main research interests include power conversion applied to household appliances, biomedical, industrial and electric vehicle applications using advanced digital and wideband control technologies. On these topics, he has published more than 300 technical papers and is a co-inventor on more than 70 patent families with more than 150 international extensions.
Dr. Lucía is a Fellow of the IEEE and president of the Young Academy of Spain. He is or has been associate editor of IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, IEEE Industrial Electronics Magazine (the Society's news editor) and IEEE Open Journal of the Industrial Electronics Society.
He received last year the ‘IEEE Rudolf Chope Research and Development Award’; the ‘Agustín de Betancourt y Molina 2020 Award’ from the Royal Spanish Academy of Engineering; the ‘Ramón y Cajal 2024’ Technology Transfer Award; the IEEE Industrial Electronics 2020 Magazine Best Article Award; the SAMCA Chair Award for Multidisciplinary Innovation and the IEEE CPE/Powereng 2023 Best Article Award, among others. He is also a recipient of the ‘Leonardo’ grant from the BBVA Foundation.
IEEE Distinctions Link: https://iten.ieee-ies.org/announcement/2025/meet-our-society-new-ieee-fellows-class-2025/
