Steps to Becoming a Fellow

Do you know an IEEE colleague who has made outstanding contributions to the electrical and electronics engineering profession?  If so, consider nominating him or her as an IEEE Fellow.  The deadline for receipt of complete IEEE Fellow nominations is 01 March.

At the time the nomination is submitted, a nominee must be an IEEE Senior Member in good standing and he/she must have completed five years of service in any grade of membership. Note: IEEE affiliate membership, does not apply.  The nominee cannot be a member of the IEEE Board of Directors, the IEEE Fellow Committee, IEEE Technical Society/Council Fellow Evaluating Committee Chair, or a member of IEEE Society/Council Fellow Evaluating Committees reviewing the nomination.

• Preparing the IEEE Fellow Grade Nomination Form
• Soliciting at least five, but no more than eight references capable of assessing the nominee’s contributions. 
  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 Technical Society/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 Member in good standing and the nominee they are serving as a reference for resides in Region 9.
• The option of soliciting no more than three endorsements capable of supporting the nomination.  Any person, including non-members, may be 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 Technical Society/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/Council whose evaluating committee will assess the nominee’s technical qualifications and contributions

The process consists of two reviews.  The first evaluation is completed by the IEEE Society/Council that the Nominator identified on the nomination form.  The Society/Council evaluation is extremely important, 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 Society/Council review is completed, their comments are given to the Fellow Committee.

All nomination materials are forwarded in confidence to the IEEE Fellow Committee.  The IEEE Fellow Committee has 52.  All committee members are IEEE Fellows and selected to represent the 10 IEEE Regions, and have expertise in the technical areas represented by IEEE societies/councils.

The 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/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 Fellow Committee submits its slate of nominees to the IEEE Board of Directors during the 3^rd quarter, and the Board acts upon those recommendations at its year-end meeting.  According to IEEE Bylaw I-306.8, 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.