Grainger CEME

Beginning in 2010, PECI is the oldest, annual, student-run IEEE international conference
focused on power and energy technology. PECI is an Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE) approved conference and is technically co-sponsored by PES, PELS, and IAS
professional societies of IEEE. The conference is organized by the IEEE PES/PELS/IAS Joint
Graduate Student Chapter, at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and is advised by
faculty in the Power and Energy area of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department.
PECI has become a perfect place in the Midwest for industry and academic researchers to
discuss future power and energy topics, such as renewable energy, machines for electric
transportation, smart grid reliability, and power electronics for emerging technologies.

PECI was founded for three key reasons: 1) to provide students in the Midwest an opportunity to
participate in a research conference, 2) to provide a forum for students in the Midwest to
present their research progress and outcomes, for feedback, to a technical audience of peers
and industry professionals, and 3) to inspire both undergraduate and graduate students to
pursue careers in power and energy. While PECI’s impact has expanded over the last 16 years
to include participants from around the world, we have retained our Midwest roots and mission
statement by encouraging participation from Midwest universities, especially undergraduate
students, in our technical poster session. By attending PECI, students benefit from closer
interactions with experts, professors, and industry professionals: opening doors to mentorship
for their future careers.

This year, over the course of two days, PECI 2026 was proud to host three technical paper
presentations, 16 technical posters during our poster session, five invited speakers from both
academia and industry, four keynote speakers, and a panel discussion on wireless power
transfer. Talk topics ranged from control of electric machines, to design of reliable HVDC grid
infrastructure, to development of reliable power converters for space, and much more. For the
first time, PECI 2026 included both lab tours of our research labs and PRDC, and an industry
expo, where supporting companies were able to network and mingle with attendees. With
approximately 150 total attendees from across industry and academia, PECI 2026 successfully
facilitated the dissemination of research and encouraged the formation of professional
relationships that benefit both UIUC as an institution and the broader research community.

Written by Nicole Stokowski, PECI 2026 Co-Director