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PISCATAWAY, N.J., Dec. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — IEEE, the world’s largest technical skilled group devoted to advancing expertise for humanity, proudly broadcasts the recipients of its prestigious 2026 IEEE Medals. These world honors acknowledge people whose transformative improvements, scientific breakthroughs, and inventive management are propelling expertise ahead for the advantage of humanity.
This yr’s recipients embody the spirit of innovation and engineering management that drives progress throughout main fields of expertise, impacting tens of millions of individuals all over the world. Their work has strengthened important infrastructure, expanded human understanding, superior healthcare, enabled new types of communication, and improved the standard of life worldwide. Collectively, they signify a various group of pioneers whose contributions are shaping a extra linked, sustainable, and equitable future.
“Every year, the IEEE Medals have a good time these whose work has not solely essentially superior expertise but in addition improved the human situation,” stated Kathleen Kramer, 2025 IEEE President and CEO. “The 2026 honorees exemplify the ingenuity, scientific excellence, and world affect that outline our group and encourage the subsequent technology. Their contributions, from breakthroughs in computing and communications to life-changing improvements in healthcare, sustainability, and training, proceed to form a greater and extra linked world.”
IEEE Medal Recipients for 2026 embrace:
IEEE FRANCES E. ALLEN MEDAL
Sponsored by IBM
IEEE Member Luis von Ahn — Duolingo
Luis von Ahn is acknowledged for inventing CAPTCHA and reCAPTCHA, pioneering human computation analysis, and founding Duolingo. His work has secured world web infrastructure, digitized tens of millions of books, and expanded entry to free training for learners worldwide.
IEEE ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL MEDAL
Sponsored by Nokia Bell Labs
IEEE Life Fellow Scott J. Shenker — UC Berkeley
Honored for groundbreaking analysis in laptop networks and web structure, Shenker’s work underpins at this time’s cloud computing, the design of contemporary knowledge facilities, and the power to manage community units via software program.
IEEE JAGADISH CHANDRA BOSE MEDAL IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS
Sponsored by Mani L. Bhaumik
IEEE Member Erik Dahlman, IEEE Fellow Stefan Parkvall, IEEE Sr. Member Johan Sköld — Ericsson
Celebrated for his or her management in growing LTE (4G) and 5G requirements, enabling world cellular broadband and powering trendy communications, commerce, and IoT.
IEEE MILDRED DRESSELHAUS MEDAL
Sponsored by Google, LLC
IEEE Fellow Karen Ann Panetta — Tufts College
Acknowledged for contributions to picture processing and advocacy for ladies in engineering via the Nerd Women program, Panetta has superior applied sciences utilized in areas akin to medical imaging and autonomous methods whereas increasing STEM pathways for women and girls globally.
IEEE EDISON MEDAL
Sponsored by the Edison Medal Fund
IEEE Fellow Eric A. Swanson — MIT
Swanson co-invented optical coherence tomography (OCT), a non-invasive, high-resolution imaging expertise that revolutionized how clinicians diagnose and handle main eye illnesses akin to glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and age-related imaginative and prescient loss.
IEEE MEDAL FOR ENVIRONMENTAL AND SAFETY TECHNOLOGIES
Sponsored by Toyota Motor Company
IEEE Life Fellow Wei-Jen Lee — College of Texas
Honored for management in electrical energy methods and renewable integration, Lee’s work strengthens grid reliability and helps clear power adoption, serving to utilities handle renewable energy sources and cut back the danger of large-scale outages.
IEEE FOUNDERS Medal
Sponsored by the IEEE Basis
Marian R. Croak — Google
Croak pioneered VoIP applied sciences and cellular donation platforms, shaping world communication and humanitarian help methods. Her management continues to affect accountable AI improvement.
IEEE RICHARD W. HAMMING MEDAL
Sponsored by Qualcomm, Inc.
IEEE Fellow Muriel Médard — MIT
Acknowledged for breakthroughs in community coding and knowledge idea, Médard’s improvements enhance the reliability of knowledge transmission in functions akin to streaming video, wi-fi networks, and satellite tv for pc communications.
IEEE MEDAL FOR INNOVATIONS IN HEALTHCARE TECHNOLOGY
Sponsored by the IEEE Engineering in Drugs and Biology Society (EMBS)
IEEE Fellow Rosalind W. Picard — MIT
Picard based affective computing and developed wearable applied sciences for emotion and well being monitoring, enabling instruments utilized in psychological well being care, stress detection, and personalised well being insights.
IEEE NICK HOLONYAK, JR. MEDAL FOR SEMICONDUCTOR OPTOELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGIES
Sponsored by Buddies of Nick Holonyak, Jr.
IEEE Fellow Steven P. DenBaars — UC Santa Barbara
DenBaars is honored for pioneering gallium nitride semiconductors and LED applied sciences that allow the brilliant, energy-efficient lighting utilized in houses, smartphones, automotive headlights, and large-scale shows.
IEEE JACK S. KILBY MEDAL
Sponsored by Apple
IEEE Life Fellow Biing-Hwang “Fred” Juang — Georgia Tech
Juang’s foundational work in speech coding and recognition made doable the voice-driven applied sciences utilized in smartphones, customer support methods, and digital assistants.
IEEE/RSE JAMES CLERK MAXWELL MEDAL
Sponsored by ARM, Ltd.
Paul B. Corkum — College of Ottawa
Corkum’s pioneering analysis in attosecond physics opened new frontiers in ultrafast science, enabling instruments used to watch chemical reactions and electron movement at unprecedented speeds.
IEEE JAMES H. MULLIGAN, JR. EDUCATION MEDAL
Sponsored by the IEEE Life Members Fund and MathWorks
IEEE Life Fellow James H. McClellan — EPFL
McClellan is acknowledged for many years of management in digital sign processing idea, shaping applied sciences utilized in audio processing, medical ultrasound, and radar methods.
IEEE JUN-ICHI NISHIZAWA MEDAL
Sponsored by the IEEE Jun-ichi Nishizawa Medal Fund
IEEE Life Fellow Eric R. Fossum — Dartmouth
Inventor of the CMOS picture sensor, Fossum revolutionized digital pictures and video, shaping trendy visible communication.
IEEE ROBERT N. NOYCE MEDAL
Sponsored by Intel Company
Chris Malachowsky — NVIDIA
Malachowsky co-founded NVIDIA and drove GPU innovation, powering AI, gaming, and accelerated computing worldwide.
IEEE DENNIS J. PICARD MEDAL RADAR TECHNOLOGIES AND APPLICATIONS
Sponsored by RTX
IEEE Life Fellow Yoshio Yamaguchi — Niigata College
Honored for pioneering radar polarimetry and distant sensing, Yamaguchi’s work helps local weather monitoring and catastrophe response globally.
IEEE MEDAL IN POWER ENGINEERING
Sponsored by the IEEE Trade Purposes, Industrial Electronics, Energy Electronics, and Energy & Vitality Societies
IEEE Fellow Fang Zheng Peng — College of Pittsburgh
Peng’s improvements in energy conversion expertise, notably his invention of the quasi Z-source inverter, have created extra environment friendly, steady, and dependable technique of harnessing renewable power.
IEEE SIMON RAMO MEDAL
Sponsored by Northrop Grumman Company
IEEE Fellow Michael Douglas Griffin — LogiQ, Inc.
Griffin, former NASA Administrator, is acknowledged for shaping U.S. house exploration technique and advancing aerospace engineering, together with applications that laid the groundwork for at this time’s crewed spaceflight and deep-space missions.
IEEE JOHN VON NEUMANN MEDAL
Sponsored by IBM
IEEE Fellow Donald D. Chamberlin — IBM
Co-inventor of SQL and a significant contributor to database languages and methods, Chamberlin’s work underpins practically all company, monetary, healthcare, and governmental knowledge methods worldwide.
Award recipients will likely be honored at IEEE’s annual Honors Ceremony on 24 April 2026 in New York Metropolis. The 2026 IEEE Medal of Honor Laureate will likely be introduced in January 2026. Keep tuned for extra particulars. To see the complete checklist of 2026 Recipients, please go to the IEEE Awards Web site.
About IEEE Awards
For over a century, the IEEE Awards Program has remained the world’s premier peer-recognition program, honoring preeminent leaders whose contributions have considerably superior engineering, science, and expertise. By means of this program, IEEE acknowledges the transformative improvements and societal affect achieved by its world group of consultants throughout fields starting from computing and telecommunications to power, aerospace, supplies science, and healthcare.
About IEEE
IEEE is the world’s largest technical skilled group and is a public charity devoted to advancing expertise for the advantage of humanity. By means of its extremely cited publications, conferences, expertise requirements, {and professional} and academic actions, IEEE is the trusted voice on all kinds of areas starting from aerospace methods, computer systems and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electrical energy, and client electronics. Study extra at https://www.ieee.org.
