IEEE Honors Graham With Chu Award for Excellence

thermal management

Samuel Graham, Nariman Farvardin Professor and Dean of the A. James Clark School of Engineering, has been named the 2026 recipient of the Richard Chu Award for Excellence in Thermal and Thermo-Mechanical Management of Electronics, a highly prestigious recognition given by the Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers (IEEE).

The award marks seminal contributions to the thermal and thermo-mechanical aspects of electronic devices and systems, as demonstrated by publications in top-ranked journals, patents, or other groundbreaking achievements.

“I am incredibly grateful for this honor,” Graham said. “I feel fortunate for the support of collaborators who worked with me to help take on challenges of addressing thermal issues at the level of the device architecture and processing, a region where you typically don’t find many thermal engineers. The breakthroughs made over the past two decades and their translation to practice have been rewarding and have made the journey fun.”

“I thank the IEEE and look forward to more research and partnerships as we continue to advance the technology of high power density electronics,” he said.

Pictured from left: Ganesh Subbarayan, James G. Dwyer Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University (2024 Richard Chu Award recipient); Michael Ohadi, Minta Martin Professor of Mechanical Engineering, UMD (2022 Richard Chu Award recipient); Yogendra Joshi, John M. McKenney and Warren D. Shiver Distinguished Chair in Building Mechanical Systems and Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology (2012 Richard Chu Award recipient and Richard Chu ITherm Award Co-Chair); Samuel Graham, Dean and Nariman Farvardin Professor, A. James Clark School of Engineering, UMD; Cristina Amon, Alumni Distinguished Professor and Dean Emerita, University of Toronto (2021 Richard Chu Award recipient); Sushil Bhavnani, Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering, Auburn University (Richard Chu ITherm Award Chair). Not pictured: Koneru Ramakrishna (Richard Chu ITherm Award Co-Chair).

With the Chu Award, Graham’s peers have now recognized his contributions with two of the most important awards in engineering. In 2022, he received the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ (ASME) Allan Kraus Thermal Management Medal for his expertise on the thermal engineering of Wide Bandgap (WBG) semiconductor devices and interfaces.

Graham was presented formally with the Chu Award during the 2026 ITherm Conference in Orlando, held from May 26-29. He joins the ranks of other distinguished UMD faculty who have won the award, including Michael Ohadi and the late Avraam Bar-Cohen.

A pioneer in advanced thermal metrology techniques and the electro-thermal design of WBG electronic devices for RF power and optoelectronic applications, Graham has earned many accolades for his work. Earlier this year, he was named a Fellow of the American Society of Thermal and Fluids Engineers (ASTFE), the leading international body in the thermal and fluids engineering field.

During Samuel Graham’s tenure as dean, the Clark School has advanced its trendsetting research in engineering and medicine, robotics and autonomous systems, semiconductors, transportation, artificial intelligence (AI), energy storage and systems, and quantum technology. The school has also launched new academic programs including a degree program in engineering AI, a BS-MD program, a minor in quantum science and engineering, and a Capstone Design Expo.

About the IEEE’s Richard Chu Award

Formerly known as the ITherm Achievement Award, the recognition being given to Graham was renamed recently to honor its first recipient, the late Richard Chu, who made influential contributions to the thermal management field.

IEEE, which established the award in 1996, is the world’s largest technical professional organization and a public charity dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. IEEE and its members inspire a global community through its highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities.

Published April 28, 2026