The NPS Fellow Search Committee

The Functional Fellow Search Committee has been established to assist in the NPSS Fellow nomination submission process to the IEEE. The Chair of the committee is a non-voting member of AdCom.

Rationale

The number of IEEE members elevated to Fellow every year cannot exceed 0.1% of all IEEE members. Although this rule is not directly applied to each society, the results of previous years are statistically consistent with this rule: for NPSS (about 3000 members) it means a number between 2 and 4 elevated fellows every year.  Since this is a highly competitive process at the IEEE level, the nominations must be written well and follow the IEEE evaluation criteria. It is also evident from the IEEE manuals that the number of submissions must correspondingly be high, in such a way that the rate of success could oscillate between 20 and 40%. Hence the nominations must be numerous. 

Structure of the Committee

The Fellow Search Committee (FSC) is established as a Functional Committee of NPSS with the task of increasing the number and improving the quality of the nominations to elevate IEEE NPSS members to the Fellow status.

The Committee consists of a minimum of three members, including the Chair, who have previously been members of the NPSS Fellow Evaluation Committee, preferably Chairs or Vice-Chairs of the above committee. The Chair of the FSC is appointed by the President of NPSS. The other members are nominated by the Committee Chair. The Chair of the FSC committee has the responsibility to verify that all the scientific topics of NPSS are covered at large by the Committee. If necessary, the number of the FSC members may be increased.

The position of FSC Chair lasts for two years and may be renewed for a second term. The other members of FSC can stay for a three-year term. Two additional years are allowed if the member is nominated Chair of the committee. As of today, the members of the  FSC are Alberto Del Guerra (Chair), Jane Lehr, and Edl Schamiloglu.

Task of the FSC

The NPSS President informs the chairs of all NPSS TCs that the correctness of the nomination to Fellow could be assessed by the FSC In order to be proactive, this communication should be done well in advance of the submission deadline. Each nomination assessment will be done by the FSC based on the same general parameters as adopted by the IEEE Fellow Committee. 

The operational tasks of the FSC are:

• keep current on the IEEE evaluation criteria
• remind TCs to nominate members to be elevated to Fellow  
• explain evaluation criteria to nominators and answer specific questions if necessary
• if asked, its members read the nomination, and provide comments concerning its correctness with respect to the IEEE rules and guidelines. Each nomination assessment will be done by the FSC based on the same general parameters as adopted by the IEEE Fellow Committee. 

Recent Changes to the Fellow Evaluation Process

The IEEE Board of Directors, at their November 2022 meeting, approved enhancements to the IEEE Fellow Process recommended by a three-year Ad Hoc committee. Some of those changes were  implemented for the 2024 Fellow Class and are noted below. As we move forward to the opening of the nomination cycle for the 2025 Fellow Class, additional changes will be implemented to the Fellow  Process. Both sets of changes are noted below as updates, with specific details: 

Changes affecting the IEEE Fellow Class of 2024 (evaluation process at the Society level completed)

Nomination form changes:

• Added “Gender” item 
• Removed “Disambiguation Identifier” (ORCID and Scopus information) 
• A second contribution category was added with the intent that it would differ from the first category (e.g., first category can be Research Engineer/Scientist and a second can be Technology Innovator) 
• Added a “Standards Contributor” category 
• Changed the former “Application Engineer/Practitioner” to “Technology Innovator” 

Reference Form Changes: 

The fellow references were made available to the Society FEC for the first time in 2024:

• Referee is warned that only the content of their reference will be shared with the Society/Technical Council (S/C) reviewing the nomination 
• The identity of the reference will be masked when it is sent to the S/Cs (this was not the case for 2024 as identities were recognizable)
• Reference is asked to identify the category of each contribution 

Changes affecting the IEEE Fellow Class of 2025

• Nomination deadline changing from March 1 to February 7, 2024 
• Society/Technical Council’s Fellow Evaluating Committee (S/C FEC) minimum and maximum number of Evaluators (see below) 
• Society/Technical Councils in a Cohort Fellow Evaluating Committee (CFEC) (see below) 
• CFECs minimum and maximum number of Members (see below) 
• S/C’s Board of Governors (BoG) to submit names by September 1, 2023 for Chairs, Vice Chairs and Evaluators for S/C FECs and CFECs 
• Compliance training completed by all process participants by December 31, 2023.

Planning for these changes will require establishment of some new timelines and deadlines to receive information from Societies and Technical Councils (S/Cs). We appreciate your cooperation in preparing for these anticipated changes. 

1. Nomination deadline changing from March 1, 2024, to February 7, 2024. 

To provide sufficient time for each step of the evaluation process, the due date for nominations has been moved up to February 7, 2024. 

2. Society/Technical Council’s Fellow Evaluating Committee (S/C FEC) minimum and maximum number of Evaluators

The number of Evaluators per S/C is computed based on the average number of nominations received within the last three years, including the current Class of 2024, and may change each cycle. The numbers include the S/C Vice Chair who is serving also in an Evaluator role. These numbers do not include the S/C Chair as they cannot serve as an Evaluator.

The following is the minimum and maximum number of Evaluators by S/C FEC for NPSS:  Minimum 5; Maximum 10

3. Society/Technical Councils in a Cohort Fellow Evaluating Committee (CFEC) 

The formation of Cohorts is determined based on the IEEE Board of Director’s approved threshold: The average number of nominations ≥30 OR Membership ≥6k.

A listing, by Division, defines whether S/Cs are in a Cohort or are a Standalone S/C. NPSS is in the cohort: (BT, CT, CSC, EMC, MAG, NPS, RFID)

4. Cohort Fellows Evaluating Committee (CFEC) minimum and maximum number of Evaluators 

The number of Evaluators per Cohort is computed based on the average number of nominations received within the last three years including the current Class of 2024 and may change each cycle. NPSS has two Evaluators. The total number of Evaluators within the Cohort where NPSS is located is 13 + Chair. 

5. Required S/C action S/C’s Board of Governors (BoG)/Administrative Committee (AdCom) to submit names by September 1 for Chairs, Vice Chairs and Evaluators for all S/C FECs and CFECs. 

The Division Directors will oversee the selection of the corresponding CFEC Chair. The CFEC Chair will be selected from the list of individuals serving as S/C Chairs within the specific Division. The individual may be from a Society/Technical Council within the Division that works as a standalone, preferably someone who has previous experience as a former Fellow Committee Judge. 

To meet the dates required by the Board of Directors’ approved enhancements, the IEEE Fellow staff will need the names of all participants and their roles in the Fellow evaluation process by September 1, 2023. 

Participants include:

• S/C FEC Chairs 
• S/C Vice Chairs 
• S/C Evaluators 
• CFEC Chairs 
• CFEC Vice Chairs 
• CFEC Evaluators 

As per the Fellow Operations Manual, all S/C’s Board of Governors (BoG)/Administrative Committee (AdCom), must approve the list of names provided. The same individuals can serve on both the S/C FEC and CFEC. The Fellow Diversity Oversight Subcommittee (FDOS) will also review the list of names to begin gathering data on diversity representation. 

6. Compliance training completed by all process participants by December 31, 2023 

Compliance training will have to be completed by December 31, 2023 through the IEEE Learning Network (ILN) for all participants in the Fellows evaluation process. Each participant will receive an invitation from ILN to complete the Compliance Training. If Compliance Training is not completed by the deadline, the individual will not be able to participate in their role and an alternate will need to be selected 

Summary of the new evaluation timeline

Date	Event
September 1, 2023	All names and roles of S/C FEC and CFEC participants due to IEEE Fellow Staff
October 1, 2023	Fellow Diversity Oversight Committee (FDOS) approves S/C FEC & CFEC List of names
November 1, 2023	Nomination System Opens for the Fellow Class of 2025
December 31, 2023	Compliance Training must be completed by all S/C and CFC participants
End of January 2024	Orientations for S/C FEC Chairs, Vice Chairs and Evaluators
February 7, 2024	Nomination System Closes for the Fellow Class of 2025
February 15, 2024	System OPENS for S/C FEC Evaluation
March 30, 2024	System CLOSES for S/C FEC Evaluation
End of March 2024	Orientations for CFC Chairs, Vice Chair and Evaluators
April 7, 2024	System OPENS for CFC Discussion
May 21, 2024	System CLOSES for CFC Discussion
Middle of May 2024	S/C BoGs or AdCom Submit Fellow Search Committee Names for Class of 2026 Fellows

Alberto Del Guerra, CHAIR of the NPS Fellow Search Committee, can be reached by E-mail at [email protected]