In this talk, Christina will share how volunteering with IEEE PELS has contributed to her early career development. From starting as a student chapter chair to organizing events for the Students and Young Professionals, Mentorship, and Women in Engineering committees—and later taking on more technical and leadership roles such as serving on conference technical program committees, becoming a Member-at-Large, chairing a Technical Committee, and serving as an Associate Editor—each step expanded her professional network and strengthened technical and soft skills. Along the way, she also found incredible mentors and advocates who played pivotal roles in her development. The visibility provided by these roles, together with the relationships formed, opened doors to new and exciting opportunities. This talk highlights how service and engagement can build confidence, foster professional growth, and accelerate career development. 

Learn More: https://www.ieee-pels.org/webinars/pels-day-2025-1/ 

Biography:

Christina DiMarino is an assistant professor at Virginia Tech in the Center for Power Electronics Systems (CPES). She received her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech in the USA in 2014 and 2018, respectively. Her research interests include power electronics packaging and high-density integration of wide- and ultra-wide bandgap power semiconductors and medium-voltage power modules. Dr. DiMarino currently serves as a Member-at-Large for the IEEE Power Electronics Society (PELS), Chair of the PELS Technical Committee on Power Components, Integration, and Power ICs (TC2), Associate Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, and is a member of the PCIM Europe Advisory Board and the IEEE PELS Women in Engineering steering committee. She has received five best paper and presentation awards at international conferences, the Outstanding New Assistant Professor Award at Virginia Tech in 2022, and the IEEE PELS Richard M. Bass Outstanding Young Power Electronics Engineer Award in 2024.

Learn More: https://www.ieee-pels.org/webinars/pels-day-2025-2/

Power electronics integration represents a key strategy for achieving geometrically efficient component placement, minimizing circuit parasitics and functional volume, and reducing component count to facilitate low manufacturing effort and application complexity. This, in turn, enables disruptive improvements in performance with respect to power density, power conversion efficiency, robustness/reliability, and ultimately, manufacturability and cost. Beginning with a brief review of the evolution of digital signal processing technology—particularly the introduction of integrated circuits in the 1970s—the talk first categorizes the primary forms of integration across different hierarchical levels, ranging from materials and active/passive components to building blocks, full converters, and finally, heterogeneous systems. Integration is shown to include, for example, the shared use of components, the combination of multiple basic functions into advanced multifunctional components, and the control-oriented coordination of converter stages at the system level. In addition to its advantages, the talk also addresses challenges arising from high-level, technology-based integration of building blocks and converters. These include the need for new modeling, design, and simulation frameworks capable of capturing the mutual coupling among electromagnetic, thermal, and mechanical domains. Moreover, novel measurement concepts—directly linked to simulation models—are required to assess internal, inaccessible component stresses. Furthermore, technology partnerships between industry and academia are essential to sustain the leading role of universities in power electronics research. Finally, the discussion turns to the largely uncharted territories in power electronics. A more comprehensive understanding of integration is proposed in the context of future multi-carrier energy systems, with environmental compatibility and circularity highlighted as essential principles for developing integrated power electronics that will serve as a foundation for a modern, sustainable society.

Biography:

Johann W. Kolar received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees (summa cum laude – promotio sub auspiciis praesidentis rei publicae) from the University of Technology Vienna, Austria. After spending 15 years as an international consultant and independent researcher, he was appointed Associate Professor and Head of the Power Electronic Systems Laboratory at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich in 2001 and was promoted to Full Professor in 2004. Over the course of his career, he has proposed numerous novel converter concepts, including the Vienna Rectifier, spearheaded the development of x-million-rpm motors, and pioneered fully automated, multi-objective power electronics design procedures. He has personally supervised more than 90 Ph.D. students to completion, has extensively published in IEEE Transactions, is named as inventor on numerous granted patents, and has received several prestigious awards—including the 2016 IEEE William E. Newell Power Electronics Award, the 2025 IEEE Medal in Power Engineering, and 2 ETH Zurich Golden Owl Awards for excellence in teaching. As Professor Emeritus (since August 2024), he actively continues to pursue research in ultra-compact and highly efficient wide-bandgap (WBG) converter systems, AI and machine learning applications in power electronics, solid-state transformers, and the life cycle analysis of power electronic converter systems. He is an International Member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering (NAE), a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), and an IEEE Life Fellow.