Steps to Become an IEEE Fellow

At the time the nomination is submitted, a nominee must:

• have accomplishments that have contributed importantly to the advancement or application of engineering, science and technology, bringing the realization of significant value to society;
   
• hold IEEE Senior Member or IEEE Life Senior Member grade;
   
• have been a member in good standing in any grade for a period of five years or more preceding 1 January of the year of elevation.

Note: IEEE Society Affiliation membership does not apply. 

Non-eligibility: The nominee cannot be a member of the IEEE Fellow Committee, an IEEE Society/Technical Council Fellow Evaluating Committee Chair, a member of IEEE Society/Technical Council Fellow Evaluating Committees reviewing the nomination, members of the IEEE Board of Directors, or members who are prohibited from publishing in IEEE publications. 

Any person, including non-IEEE members, is eligible to serve as a nominator. The following are exceptions: members of the IEEE Board of Directors, members of the IEEE Fellow Committee, IEEE Society/Technical Council Fellow Evaluating Committee Chairs, members of IEEE Society/Technical Council Fellow Evaluating Committee reviewing the nomination, or IEEE Staff. Self-nomination is not permitted.  

The nominator is responsible for:

• Preparing the IEEE Fellow Grade Nomination Form, making sure all information is current and the form filled out correctly.
• Soliciting at least five, but no more than eight, references capable of assessing the nominee’s contributions.
  (NOTE: A reference must be an IEEE Fellow in good standing.  The following individuals are ineligible to serve as IEEE Fellow references: members of the IEEE Board of Directors, members of the Fellow Committee, members of the IEEE Society/Technical Council Fellow Evaluating Committee reviewing the nomination or IEEE Staff.  In addition, a nominator may not serve as a reference for a nomination he/she is submitting.
  Exception: References will be accepted if a reference is an IEEE Senior or Life Senior Member from Region 9, in good standing and the nominee they are serving as a reference resides in Region 9.)
• There is the option of soliciting no more than three endorsements capable of supporting the nomination.  Any person, including non-IEEE members, may submit an endorsement. The following individuals are ineligible to serve as endorsements: members of the IEEE Board of Directors, members of the Fellow Committee, members of the IEEE Society/Technical Council Fellow Evaluating Committee reviewing the nomination or IEEE Staff.  In addition, a nominator may not serve as an endorser for a nomination he/she is submitting.
• Identifying an IEEE Society/Technical Council whose evaluating committee will assess the nominee’s technical qualifications and contributions.

The process consists of two evaluations.  The first evaluation is completed by the IEEE Society/Technical Council that the nominator identified on the nomination form.  This is an extremely important evaluation because it is an impartial and even-handed view of the nominee’s merit, by persons who are familiar with his or her work.  Once the IEEE Society/Technical Council review is completed, their comments are given to the IEEE Fellow Committee.

All nomination materials are forwarded in confidence to the IEEE Fellow Committee.  The IEEE Fellow Committee consists of 52 members, all of whom are IEEE Fellows with expertise in the technical areas represented by IEEE societies/technical councils and selected to represent the ten IEEE Regions.

The IEEE Fellow Committee recommends nominees to the IEEE Board of Directors, according to the following criteria.

• significant contributions as Application Engineer/Practitioner, Educator, Research Engineer/Scientist, or Technical Leader;
• evidence of technical accomplishments;
• evaluation by the IEEE Society/Technical Council selected by the nominator;
• confidential opinions of references and endorsers;
• service to other professional engineering societies;
• total years in the profession.

Each nominee is rated numerically on the basis of this information.

The slate of nominees is submitted by the IEEE Fellow Committee to the IEEE Board of Directors during the 3rd quarter, and the Board acts upon those recommendations at its year-end meeting.  According to IEEE Bylaw I-305.5, the total number of Fellow recommendations in any one-year must not exceed one-tenth of one percent of the voting membership on record as of 31 December of the year preceding.