The IEEE Nikola Award 2017 - Adel Razek, Senior Research Director (Emeritus) and Professor (Honorary), The National Center for Scientific Research CNRS and CentraleSupelec, GeePs, Gif Sur Yvette, France.

For contributions to coupled multiphysics modeling and design of electromagnetic systems. The award was presented at the 21th of June 2017 by President Tomy Sebastian representing the IEEE board of directors at the international conference Compumag 2017, Korea. The ceremony took place during the conference dinner.

Award: The IEEE Award is a Technical Field Award given annually to an individual or team that has made an outstanding contribution to the generation or utilization of electric power. It is awarded by the Board of Directors of the IEEE. The award is named in honor of Nikola Tesla. This award may be presented to an individual or a team.

Biography (citation of President Tomy Sebastian in the award presentation ceremony): Considered one of the most successful multiphysics researchers, Adel Razek’s modeling and design tools are responsible for making commercial energy conversion devices more efficient and reliable. He was among the first to develop coupled electromagnetic and circuit analysis and further developed the multiphysics field by adding coupled electromagnetic and mechanical as well as thermal analysis. His work has led to the better understanding of electromagnetics in electrical machinery and electromagnetic devices and has allowed engineers and scientists to achieve higher accuracy in determining the different variables governing the operation of industrial systems and to account for realistic system operation. Other areas impacted by Razek’s work include traction in electric vehicle drives, electromagnetic compatibility, nondestructive testing, smart material actuation, robotics, and biomedicine.

An IEEE Life Fellow, Razek is senior research director (emeritus) and professor (honorary) with the National Center for Scientific Research and Centralesupelec, GeePs, Gif Sur Yvette, France.

Coupled modeling (citation of Adel Razek in the award presentation ceremony): A real object that is, observable, behaves according to real environmental events that are, observable. Such behavior can be dominated by different sciences (physical, chemical, biological, etc.) and different phenomena involved in each of these elements. If the mathematical models concerned are particularly interdependent, only a coupled solution of these models can give an appropriate picture of such behavior. The degree of such interdependence is directly related to the degree of the needed coupling. For a given coupling degree the choices of suitable mathematical formulation, suitable scales of space and time and suitable solution method can lead to the appropriate behavior.