IEEE Power & Energy Society Announces Candidates for President-Elect
The IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) Governing Board approved the following candidates for the offices of 2026/2027: President-Elect, Treasurer, and Secretary.
The IEEE PES Governing Board is responsible for the administration and management of Society affairs in accordance with the rules and regulations of IEEE and the Constitution, Bylaws and Operations Manual of the Society.
The voting membership of IEEE annually elects officers that serve on the top-tier IEEE governing bodies. The candidates comprise of members who have been nominated either by the nominating committee for that position or by petition.
The IEEE Board of Directors nominates candidates for IEEE President-Elect, and divisional and regional nominating committees nominate the candidates for the Division and Region Director positions. The annual ballot also includes candidates for positions in the IEEE Standards Association, IEEE Technical Activities, IEEE-USA, and IEEE Women in Engineering.
Candidates for IEEE PES President-Elect:
Claudio Cañizares
University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
Claudio Cañizares has been at the University of Waterloo since 1993, where he is a University Professor, Hydro One Chair, and WISE Executive Director. His highly cited research with industry and government partners has focused on relevant and practical aspects of power and energy systems in the context of decarbonization and grid edge technologies. He is a former IEEE Trans. Smart Gird EIC and IEEE Division VII Director, as well as a Fellow of the IEEE, Royal Society of Canada, Canadian Academy of Engineering, and Chinese Society for Electrical Engineering, has received multiple awards and recognitions from PES and various institutions. He has been an active member of PES since 1986, contributing significantly to its multiple activities and initiatives. He has held various leadership roles and has been an active member of the PES Governing Board and Executive Committee, IEEE TAB and BOD, and multiple IEEE and PES committees.
Candidate Statement:
I have unique expertise and broad knowledge of the PES and IEEE, given my multiple successful activities and leadership positions in nearly 40 years as an active member and volunteer, particularly as IEEE Division VII Director. Based on my wide experience and open and transparent approach as a PES and IEEE leader, as members and volunteers with whom I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating would attest to, I believe that I can provide the required stewardship of the PES to serve its large academic, industry, and worldwide membership.
As in all my PES and IEEE roles, I will follow an inclusive, transparent, and generous leadership style if elected PES President. Furthermore, besides facilitating and supporting all the great ongoing work by PES members and volunteers, I will focus on enhancing the impact and relevance of PES to the world’s Net-Zero future for which the power grid will be the backbone, and will work on increasing the growing PES relevance and leadership role within the IEEE, which I have been encouraging and supporting as IEEE and PES leader.
Bikash Pal
Imperial College London, South Kensington, London
As a Commonwealth scholar, Bikash Pal obtained his PhD from Imperial College London. His research in electric energy system stability and control is sponsored by power companies, UK and European Research Council. He led three multi-university research consortia between UK, China and UK India. His research group received the 2016 Imperial President Award for Outstanding Research. The research outcome of his team has been put into practice by Siemens and GE. He has consulted the United Nations on technical problems in power transmission. He has graduated 32 PhDs, published approximately 135 IEEE journal papers, and co-authored four books.
He is a Fellow of IEEE, IET and The Royal Academy of Engineering (UK). He was Editor-in-Chief (EiC) of IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy (2012–17), IET Generation, Transmission and Distribution (2005–12) and Vice-President, Publications, PES, IEEE (2019–23). He was Mercator Professor in Germany, Otto, Monsted Professor in Denmark and distinguished Visiting Professor at NCEPU and Tsinghua University.
Candidate Statement:
Climate change is already impacting life and living on our planet. Electrification, energy access, equity are all very pressing challenges for the sustainable net-zero transition for the world community. PES, as a global network of power engineering professionals, has a huge responsibility to deliver this transition. Through its flagship conferences and technical activities, PES needs to provide a platform for inclusive engagement for innovations in net-zero technologies, their development, and dissemination. Through PES, we need to have our education program that is fit for the future. I will focus on decentralizing our governance and decisions through our chapter leadership, so PES is globally relevant. PES leads in IEEE Standards, but I will work to bring PES and other related standard development entities together to develop compatible standards that enables the adoption of net-zero technologies globally. Through the mentoring, technical activities, and the outstanding volunteering programs of PES, I have grown immensely. Leveraging that legacy, let us all learn, work and deliver together to help build a sustainable society that is inclusive and works for everyone.
Edvina Uzunovic
Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA
Dr. Edvina Uzunovic has over 25 years of experience in the power systems industry and academia. She has been a vital contributor to the overall success of several leading power industry organizations, utilities and manufacturers, while serving in different roles. She is currently Assistant Teaching Professor and Associate Director of Power System Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts.
Dr. Uzunovic holds a B.Sc. from the University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Throughout her career, she has received numerous accolades, including the first place at the IEEE PES Student Poster Contest (1999), the EPRI Innovators Award (2002), the EPRI Technology Award for contributions to FACTS technology, and Recognition Awards from the U.S. National Committee of CIGRE for her outstanding technical papers in 2002 and 2006. She is a senior member of IEEE PES.
Candidate Statement:
As a candidate for IEEE PES President-Elect, I am dedicated to advancing our society’s mission by fostering a culture of continuous education and professional development for our members. I aim to enhance PES University, a platform I formed, by offering ongoing learning opportunities that ensure members remain at the forefront of industry advancements.
Equally important is bridging the gap between industry and academia by uniting around the shared goal of innovation and education. By focusing on emerging technologies, we empower our members to lead the transition to a cleaner, sustainable energy future.
We must also address new energy trends and develop standards for seamless integration. Key priorities include reemergence of nuclear power through Small Modular Reactors to support energy-intensive AI data centers, as well as initiatives that integrate nuclear, energy/water, and hydrogen programs.
Above all, it is important to create climate resilient power systems while safeguarding IEEE PES’s independence and integrity. Together, we can strengthen our community, expand educational resources, and cultivate a culture of continuous learning and innovation.
Thank you for your support.