In Memoriam – Professor Thomas A. Lipo (1938 – 2020)
Thomas A. Lipo, distinguished IAS member and IEEE Life Fellow, passed away at age 82 on May 8, 2020, after a battle with cancer. He was internationally renowned as a leading authority in electric machine drive technology including innovative machine topologies, power electronics, and drive control algorithms.
Prof. Lipo attended Marquette University, earning B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering. He completed his PhD degree in 1968 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Prof. Lipo joined the GE General Laboratory in Schenectady, NY, in 1969 where he honed his skills in ac machine/drive analysis and analog computer simulation. He left industry for academia in 1979 when he joined the faculty at Purdue University. Two years later, he returned to UW-Madison where he joined with Prof. Don Novotny to co-found the Wisconsin Electric Machines and Power Electronics Consortium (WEMPEC) in 1981. Under their leadership, WEMPEC grew into the highly successful university-industry partnership that it is today. During his highly-productive 39-year career at UW-Madison, Prof. Lipo supervised more than 120 graduate students, authored more than 700 technical papers and 5 books, and earned more than 50 patents. His technical articles and books have collected more than 50,000 citations.
Prof. Lipo was distinguished by his special affinity for international travel. He played a major role in pioneering collaborations with faculty members at academic institutions in Japan and China during the 1970s and 1980s. He supervised graduate students from these countries and many others that are now leading experts in industry and academia.
Prof. Lipo earned many international awards including election to the US National Academy of Engineering, the Royal Academy of Engineering in Great Britain, and the US National Academy of Inventors. He received the IEEE Medal in Power Engineering in 2014, one of IEEE’s highest honors. His other awards include the IAS Outstanding Achievement Award, the IEEE Nikola Tesla Technical Field Award, and the William E. Newell Award from IEEE PELS. His IEEE leadership activities included service as IAS President in 1994.
Prof. Lipo led a rich professional life that crossed the boundary between industry and academia in a uniquely productive way. He touched the lives of thousands of students, engineers, and faculty colleagues, leaving a remarkable legacy that will live on.