The Bridge - Issue 1, 2023 - 34

Professional Profile
Dr. Saifur Rahman
Director, Advanced Research
Institute, Virginia Tech
Chapter of Induction:
Beta Lambda Chapter
Professor Saifur Rahman is the founding director
of the Advanced Research Institute at Virginia
Tech, USA where he is the Joseph R. Loring
professor of electrical and computer engineering.
He is a Life Fellow of the IEEE and an IEEE
Millennium Medal winner. He is the 2023 IEEE
President and CEO. He is the founding editorin-chief
of the IEEE Electrification Magazine
and the IEEE Transactions on Sustainable
Energy. Some of his IEEE awards include: IEEE
Technical Activities Board Hall of Honor (2014),
Outstanding Power Engineering Educator Award
(2013) and IEEE Power & Energy Society
Meritorious Service Award (2012). He was
awarded a multi-million dollar grant by the US
Department of Energy to develop the Building
Energy Management Open Source Software
platform, which has been commercialized. His
bachelor's degree in electrical engineering is
from the Bangladesh University of Engineering
and Technology, his master's degree in electrical
engineering is from Stony Brook University, and
he has a doctorate in electrical engineering from
Virginia Tech.
Why did you choose to study the engineering
field (or the field you studied)?
I chose to study engineering because from a very
young age (8 to 10 years) I was very interested to
understand how things work and why machines are
built the way they are built. I remember when I was
about 12 years old, I built a copper coil and put it
between two magnets to see if the coil will turn if
electrified. The result was I blew the main fuse in the
house because I short-circuited the line. The current
did not flow in the coil long enough for it to turn.
What do you love about the industry?
I work in the area of electric power, which is the
lifeline of the modern civilization. Solar power, hydro
power, wind power, biomass power, nuclear power,
power from fossil fuel - all these are making living on
earth more fulfilling and enjoyable. The generation,
transmission and distribution of electricity provides
ample opportunities for engineers to showcase their
talent in advancing technology for humanity.
What don't you like about the industry?
Due to the heavy use of fossil fuel to produce
electricity globally - and the resulting carbonization
- there is a heavy pressure on the environment
causing climate related disasters. While there is some
awareness about this challenge, not enough serious
efforts are being made to decarbonize the electric
power sector.
How has the engineering field changed
since you entered it?
When I was a freshman in college, in 1968, there were
no personal computers, no smart phones, no electric
vehicles, no robotics in our daily lives, and very little
domestic air conditioning. In the 50 years since, the
progressive developments in engineering have made
such devices not only available, but also affordable to a
large segment of the world population.
THE BRIDGE
The Bridge - Issue 1, 2023

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