Shkel Awarded by IEEE for Outstanding Service

Dec. 14, 2023 - Andrei Shkel, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, received the John Vig Meritorious Service Award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Sensors Council for his dedicated long-term service and contributions. He was particularly recognized for the founding of a conference on inertial sensing.

The IEEE is the largest technical professional organization worldwide dedicated to advancing humanity through technology, and the IEEE Sensors Council focuses specifically on the theory, design and applications of sensing devices. Shkel was presented with the award during the 2023 IEEE Sensors Conference in Vienna, Austria, in October.

He founded the IEEE International Symposium on Inertial Sensors & Systems (IEEE INERTIAL) in 2014, a conference focusing on innovative designs and emerging research in inertial sensing. After serving for four years as a program manager for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Shkel recognized the need to create a boutique technical conference for the inertial sensors and systems community. Taking inspiration from DARPA’s principal investigator meetings, he put together a conference that fosters intellectually charged discussions and exhibits multidisciplinary research. The event has grown to host over 200 academics, students and scientists worldwide each year, including graduate students from UCI. The symposium will hold its 11th annual gathering in Hiroshima, Japan, next March.

“I am especially proud that this event is equally of interest for colleagues from academia, industry and government,” said Shkel. “I’m thrilled to see that INERTIAL has been a launching pad for many students into successful careers.”

Shkel’s other leadership services within the IEEE include serving as president of the IEEE Sensors Council from 2020-21, as a subject editor of the IEEE/ASME Journal of Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems and now as editor-in-chief of the IEEE Sensors Letters. He was elected an IEEE fellow in 2014 and received the Sensors Council Technical Achievement Award in 2009. He established and currently serves as the chair of the IEEE Technical Committee on Inertial Sensors and Systems.

– Lilith Christopher