IEEE Honors Global Dream Team of Innovators

Meet the recipients of the 2026 IEEE Medals-the organization's highest-level honors. Presented on behalf of the IEEE Board of Directors, these medals recognize innovators whose work has shaped modern technology across disciplines including AI, education, and semiconductors.

The medals will be presented at the IEEE Honors Ceremony in April in New York City. View the full list of 2026 recipients on the IEEE Awards website, and follow IEEE Awards on LinkedIn for news and updates.

IEEE MEDAL OF HONOR

Sponsor: IEEE

Jensen Huang

Nvidia

Santa Clara, Calif.

For leadership in the development of graphics processing units and their application to scientific computing and artificial intelligence."

IEEE FRANCES E. ALLEN MEDAL

Sponsor: IBM

Luis von Ahn

Duolingo

Pittsburgh

For contributions to the advancement of societal improvement and education through innovative technology."

IEEE ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL MEDAL

Sponsor: Nokia Bell Labs

Scott Shenker

University of California, Berkeley

International Computer Science Institute

For contributions to Internet architecture, network resource allocation, and software-defined networking."IEEE JAGADISH CHANDRA BOSE MEDAL IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS

Sponsor: Mani L. Bhaumik

Co-recipients:
Erik Dahlman
Stefan Parkvall
Johan Skold

Ericsson

Stockholm

For contributions to and leadership in the research, development, and standardization of cellular wireless communications."

IEEE MILDRED DRESSELHAUS MEDAL

Sponsor: Google

Karen Ann Panetta

Tufts University

Medford, Mass.

For contributions to computer vision and simulation algorithms, and for leadership in developing programs to promote STEM careers."

IEEE EDISON MEDAL

Sponsor: IEEE Edison Medal Fund

Eric Swanson

PIXCEL Inc.

MIT

For pioneering contributions to biomedical imaging, terrestrial optical communications and networking, and inter-satellite optical links."

IEEE MEDAL FOR ENVIRONMENTAL AND SAFETY TECHNOLOGIES

Sponsor: Toyota Motor Corp.

Wei-Jen Lee

University of Texas at Arlington

For contributions to advancing electrical safety in the workplace, integrating renewable energy and grid modernization for climate change mitigation."

IEEE FOUNDERS MEDAL

Sponsor: IEEE Foundation

Marian Rogers Croak

Google

Reston, Va.

For leadership in communication networks, including acceleration of digital equity, responsible Artificial Intelligence, and the promotion of diversity and inclusion."

IEEE RICHARD W. HAMMING MEDAL

Sponsor: Qualcomm, Inc.

Muriel Medard

MIT

For contributions to coding for reliable communications and networking."

IEEE NICK HOLONYAK, JR. MEDAL FOR SEMICONDUCTOR OPTOELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGIES

Sponsor: Friends of Nick Holonyak, Jr.

Steven P. DenBaars

University of California, Santa Barbara

For seminal contributions to compound semiconductor optoelectronics, including high-efficiency visible light-emitting diodes, lasers, and LED displays."

IEEE MEDAL FOR INNOVATIONS IN HEALTHCARE TECHNOLOGY

Sponsor: IEEE Engineering Medicine and Biology Society

Rosalind W. Picard

MIT

For pioneering contributions to wearable affective computing for health and wellbeing."

IEEE JACK S. KILBY SIGNAL PROCESSING MEDAL

Sponsor: Apple

Biing-Hwang Fred" Juang

Georgia Tech

For contributions to signal modeling, coding, and recognition for speech communication."

IEEE/RSE JAMES CLERK MAXWELL MEDAL

Sponsor: ARM, Ltd.

Paul B. Corkum

University of Ottawa

For the development of the recollision model for strong field light-matter interactions leading to the field of attosecond science."

IEEE JAMES H. MULLIGAN, JR. EDUCATION MEDAL

Sponsor: IEEE Life Members Fund and MathWorks

James H. McClellan

Georgia Tech

For fundamental contributions to electrical and computer engineering education through innovative digital signal processing curriculum development."

IEEE JUN-ICHI NISHIZAWA MEDAL

Sponsor: IEEE Jun-ichi Nishizawa Medal Fund

Eric R. Fossum

Dartmouth College

Hanover, N.H.

For the invention, development, and commercialization of the CMOS image sensor."

IEEE ROBERT N. NOYCE MEDAL

Sponsor: Intel Corp.

Chris Malachowsky

Nvidia

Santa Clara, Calif.

For pioneering parallel computing architectures and leadership in semiconductor design that transformed artificial intelligence, scientific research, and accelerated computing."

IEEE DENNIS J. PICARD MEDAL FOR RADAR TECHNOLOGIES AND APPLICATIONS

Sponsor: RTX

Yoshio Yamaguchi

Niigata University

Japan

For contributions to polarimetric synthetic aperture radar imaging and its utilization."

IEEE MEDAL IN POWER ENGINEERING

Sponsors: IEEE Industry Applications, Industrial Electronics, Power Electronics, and Power & Energy societies

Fang Zheng Peng

University of Pittsburgh

For contributions to Z-Source and modular multi-level converters for distribution and transmission networks."

IEEE SIMON RAMO MEDAL

Sponsor: Northrop Grumman Corp.

Michael D. Griffin

LogiQ, Inc.

Arlington, Va.

For leadership in national security, civil, and commercial systems engineering and development of elegant design principles."

IEEE JOHN VON NEUMANN MEDAL

Sponsor: IBM

Donald D. Chamberlin

IBM

San Jose, Calif.

For contributions to database query languages, particularly Structured Query Language, which powers most of the world's data management and analysis systems."