The PCIM Conference Awards 2025

This year, the PCIM Conference Awards for Best Paper, Young Engineer, and Young Researcher were given to five authors from academia and industry. With their innovative ideas, this year’s winners are setting new standards in the industry and driving forward next-generation technology.

The awards recognise both young talents and established experts who are driving technological advances and new approaches in the industry. This year, the international advisory board of the PCIM Conference, chaired by Prof. Leo Lorenz (ECPE), selected the award-winning papers from more than 450 submissions. 

Outstanding research papers and innovations 

Besides reflecting the current challenges and trends in power electronics, this year’s awards also provide impetus for future developments in energy technology, power semiconductor technology, and smart systems integration. The quality and relevance of the submissions were particularly high, underscoring the forward-looking nature of the industry. The award-winning papers not only contribute to the further development of the technology but also boost the award winners’ reputations in the international power electronics industry.

Best Paper Award – rigorous scientific quality in power electronics

The Best Paper Award was won by three outstanding papers that offered innovative solutions and in-depth scientific findings. The award-winning papers deal with key technologies and pioneering approaches that advance the efficiency, sustainability, and performance of power electronics systems. This year’s winners, who are all at the forefront of their discipline, propose practical solutions to the challenges facing the industry. 

The winning papers were as follows: 

• Hironori Akiyama, MIRISE Technologies, Japan

Low-Loss Active Gate Driver with Surge Voltage Detection for SiC MOSFET

• Michael Basler, Fraunhofer IAF, Germany

Highly-Integrated 1200V GaN-Based Monolithic Bidirectional Switch

• Bastian Korthauer, ETH Zurich, Switzerland

Improved Insulation Design of Medium-Frequency Transformers Using a Semiconductive Coil Former

Young Engineer Award – young talent providing fresh impetus 

The Young Engineer Award was presented to a young engineer whose paper demonstrated technical sophistication and a fresh approach. The award-winning project is an example of how digital technologies and system innovations can open up new opportunities for power electronics.

This year’s winner was Martin Schiestl from Infineon Technologies, Austria, for his paper ‘Compact Highly Integrated 1kW Peak Motor Drive’.

Young Researcher Award – research contributing to the future of power electronics

This time, the Young Researcher Award was presented to an outstanding young scientist (under the age of 30) whose research has made a significant contribution toward the further development of power electronics. The award encourages academic debate on forward-looking topics and continued research in power electronics and lays the foundation for the technological innovations of the future.

The winner of this award was Lena Köhler, Fraunhofer IISB, Germany, with her paper on ‘Machine Learning and Digital Twins for RUL Prediction of DC Semiconductors Circuit Breakers’.

Presenting the awards at the award ceremony and opening of the PCIM Conference 2025 were Prof. Leo Lorenz and this year’s conference sponsors Littelfuse, Mitsubishi Electric, Semikron Danfoss, and Wolfspeed. Each winner also receives a €1,000 prize.