VTS Board of Governors Election - Vote by 17 August 2026
All IEEE VTS members are encouraged to vote in the 2026 Board of Governors election.
You will receive your IEEE Vehicular Technology Society ballot material via email on 22 June 2026. You can also vote by visiting this site: VOTE HERE
The voting period will be 22 June - 17 August 2026.
If you prefer to have the paper ballot material mailed to you, please e-mail your name, address, member number, and reference the VT Society election ballot to (Click to show email) or call +1 732 562 3904. When the election ballots are sent out, your ballot will be physically mailed to you rather than sent electronically.
Biographical information on each of the Governor-at-Large nominees can be found below.
If you have any questions, please contact (Click to show email) or +1 732 562 3904.
Nominees for the VTS 2026 Board of Governors Election
Click on a nominee below to learn more about them.
Taimoor Abbas
Biography: Taimoor Abbas (Senior Member, IEEE) is a Senior Member of Technical Staff at InterDigital, specializing in 5G-Advanced and 6G wireless systems. With over 15 years of experience in the wireless communications industry, his work focuses on UAV-enabled networks, AI/ML-driven wireless systems, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communications, and advanced MIMO technologies.
He received his Ph.D. and M.Sc. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Lund University, Sweden, and an M.Sc. in Electronics from Quaid-i-Azam University, Pakistan. Over his career, Dr. Abbas has contributed to both industrial research and innovation, with a strong emphasis on bridging advanced research and real-world deployment in next-generation wireless systems.
Dr. Abbas has authored over 30 technical publications and holds more than 40 granted patents, with over 250 patent applications filed globally. His contributions have played a significant role in advancing innovation and supporting the development of emerging wireless technologies and standards.
Alvin Chin
Biography: Dr. Alvin Chin is a Visiting Clinical Assistant Professor at the Department of Information and Decision Sciences, College of Business Administration at the University of Illinois Chicago. Previously, he was a Research Scientist at Discovery Partners Institute. His research is on responsible AI and mobile social networking. He also worked for RXO as a Principal Data Scientist, and for BMW as Innovation Engineer for BMW Manufacturing in Greenville, South Carolina; AI and Emerging Technology Researcher at BMW Technology Office USA in Mountain View, California; and Senior Machine Learning Researcher at BMW Technology Corporation in Chicago, Illinois. During his work at BMW, he worked on causal machine learning; neuromorphic and quantum computing; big data and machine learning for improving driving behavior and enabling intelligent driving; and applying AI to improve vehicle diagnostics, manufacturing and BMW’s internal processes. Dr. Chin has authored over 30 publications and 10 patents, including pending. He received a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Toronto, MASc in Software Engineering from the University of Waterloo, and BASc in Computer Engineering from the University of Waterloo. He has previously worked for Nokia Research Center, Nokia and Microsoft in Beijing, China. Dr. Chin is active in the community in data science and machine learning meetups, as member of various program committees of academic conferences, and has given more than 50 talks to universities, meetups and conferences.
Giambattista Gruosso
Biography: Giambattista Gruosso graduated from the Polytechnic University of Turin (Italy) in 1999 and earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the same institution in 2003. Since 2011 he has been Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at the Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering (DEIB), Politecnico di Milano, where he teaches and leads research activities in electrical systems and their applications.
He has authored more than 150 journal and conference publications covering electric mobility, charging infrastructures, powertrain systems, electrical system simulation and analysis, and optimization of electrical devices and systems. His work spans electric vehicles, electro-mechanical devices, hardware-in-the-loop methodologies, connected vehicles, big data, machine learning, and integrated simulation methods for electrical and transport systems. His Google Scholar profile shows over 3,000 citations, reflecting his broad impact in these fields.
Prof. Gruosso has collaborated with leading companies in the mobility sector, including IVECO (now CNH Industrial) and FIAT (now Stellantis), performing research and consulting and participating in projects on electric vehicle recharge planning and integration of charging stations into ICT systems and power grids.
He has been scientific coordinator and responsible for numerous funded research projects at Politecnico di Milano, often involving industrial partnerships. Gruosso is a Senior Member of IEEE, serves on the scientific committee of SPS-DRIVE Italia, and is a member of SAE International. He also serves as Associate Editor for IEEE Access and MDPI Electronics and acts as a reviewer for several national and international journals.
Lajos Hanzo
Biography: Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, FIEEE, FIET, Fellow of EURASIP, DSc received his degree in electronics in 1976 and his doctorate in 1983. In 2009 he was awarded the honorary doctorate ``Doctor Honoris Causa'' by the Technical University of Budapest and in 2016 by the University of Edinburgh. During his career in telecommunications he has held various research and academic posts in Hungary, Germany and the UK. Since 1986 he has been with the School of ECS, University of Southampton, UK, where he holds the chair in telecommunications. He has successfully supervised 126 PhD students, co-authored 20 John Wiley/IEEE Press books on mobile radio, published 2000+ contributions at IEEE Xplore, acted both as TPC and General Chair of major IEEE conferences, presented keynote lectures and has been awarded a number of distinctions. Currently he is directing an academic research team and manages a number of research grants. He was also a holder of the Royal Society's Global Research Challenges Grant. He is a former Wolfson-Research-Merit-Award Leaureate. During 2009 – 2012 he was a Chaired Professor also at Tsinghua University, Beijing. He was bestowed upon the 2022 Erci Sumner Technical Filed award.
Yousef Kimiagar
Biography: Mr. Yousef Kimiagar is an accomplished executive with over 35 years of international experience at senior technical and managerial positions. He is globally recognized as a leader in developing standards for advanced train control systems. As a VP at Hatch Canada, he is the global discipline lead for Advanced Technologies in Rail Systems. Highlights of his contribution to the industry include research and development of advanced train control systems in compliance with IEEE, IEC and CENELEC standards. Additional contributions include his roles as Board Member of IEEE Standard Association, Senior Member IEEE, Fellow and Board Member of the IRSE, Chair of the IEEE Standards Committees and Chair of the IEEE INNOVARail Conferences.
Mr. Kimiagar is a registered Professional Engineer in Ontario and British Columbia in Canada and graduated from University of Waterloo with a Master’s degree in Management Sciences MMSc., a B.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering from IUST and an Executive Certificate in Artificial Intelligence Implications for Business Strategy from MIT.
David W. Matolak
Biography: David W. Matolak received the BS degree from The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA; the MS degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA; and the Ph.D. degree from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, all in electrical engineering. He has over thirty years’ experience in communication system research, development, and deployment, with government institutions, academia, including nine years in industry with AT&T Bell Laboratories, L3 Communication Systems, MITRE, and Lockheed Martin. He spent thirteen years as a faculty member at Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, and is currently an MCEC Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC. He has published several hundred refereed papers, has eleven patents, and has delivered several dozen invited talks at international venues. He has organized multiple conference workshops and special sessions, and was Associate Editor for several journals for a total of over 22 years. He has been a visiting professor at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the University of Malaga, Spain, NASA Glenn Research Center, and the German Aerospace Center. He has conducted sponsored research for DARPA/AFRL, NSF, NASA, NIST, ONR, and the FAA, and for private industries including L3 Communication Systems, Texas Instruments, Mosaic-ATM, and Roberson and Associates. His research interests include measurement and modeling of non-stationary wireless channels, modulation and detection, and secure and covert communications. He is a member of standards groups in RTCA and ITU, and a member of Eta Kappa Nu, Sigma Xi, Tau Beta Pi, URSI, ASEE, and AIAA.
Kamesh Namuduri
Biography: Kamesh Namuduri is a Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of North Texas, where he has been on the faculty since 2008 after serving at Wichita State University and Clark Atlanta University. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of South Florida, M.S. in Computer Science from Central University, Hyderabad, and B.S. in Electronics and Communications from Osmania University.
His research focuses on advanced air mobility, airborne and vehicular networks, wireless sensor networks, image and video processing, and information security, with a strong emphasis on communications, navigation, and surveillance for future transportation systems. He has published extensively, including co-editing the book “UAV Networks and Communications” and contributing to books, journal special issues, and standards-related blueprints on public safety and unmanned air transportation.
Prof. Namuduri has led and participated in numerous projects with NASA, the Air Force Research Laboratory, and other agencies, receiving recognition through awards such as the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society Distinguished Lecturer (2021–2025) and multiple design and innovation awards. He has supervised a large number of Ph.D. and M.S. students and has contributed significantly to building communities at the intersection of vehicular technology, unmanned aviation, and intelligent transportation systems.
Alon Newton
Biography: Experienced Electrical Engineer with 30 years’ experience in RF/Microwave, Consumer Electronics, Electro-optics, and Computer Engineering field. I was born, raised, educated, and started my professional career in Israel. After years in defense electronics, I made a shift to consumer electronics and moved to Hong Kong. I migrated to Canada from Hong Kong and worked for a few international and US employers and startup companies for over 15 years. In 2011 I moved to Seattle and have been working for Microsoft & Pivotal Commware, Ossia & Amazon. I volunteered with various organizations over the years: Scouts movement, Israeli Alpine Club and for the last 16 years with the IEEE. I took part in STEM activities and other volunteering opportunities through work. I served in the army (IDF) and is registered as a P.Eng in the province of BC, Canada since 1999. ISO9000 auditor Six Sigma Green Belt. I like climbing, hiking, skiing, and diving.
Joao Pedro F. Trovao
Biography: Joao Pedro F. Trovao received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Coimbra, Portugal, in 2004 and 2013, respectively. From 2000 to 2014, he held teaching and research roles at the Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra—ISEC. Since 2014, he has been with the Université de Sherbrooke, Canada, where he is a Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering and holds the Canada Research Chair in Efficient Electric Vehicles with Hybridized Energy Storage Systems. He is the Founding Director of the electric-Transport, Energy Storage and Conversion (e-TESC) Laboratory, leading research in electric mobility, hybrid energy storage, energy management, and advanced powertrain design.
Dr. Trovao has authored or co-authored over 245 journal and conference papers and leads numerous R&D initiatives with academic and industry partners. He has served as Principal Investigator on several funded projects and played key roles in international events, including General Chair of IEEE VPPC 2018 and Technical Program Chair for VPPC 2024. He also led the IEEE VTS Motor Vehicles Challenges in 2021 and 2022.
A Senior Member of IEEE VTS, he is a Senior Editor for IEEE Vehicular Technology Magazine and Guest Editor for special issues in IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology. His work has been recognized for advancing energy-efficient transportation systems, and he remains committed to mentoring early-career researchers and developing next-generation mobility solutions.
Weihua Zhuang
Biography: Weihua Zhuang is a University Professor and a University Research Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Waterloo, Canada. She was a Tier I Canada research Chair in Wireless Communication Networks during 2010-2024.
Weihua has published 15 monographs, 300 journal papers and 200 conference papers, 13 patents and applications, with an H-index of 89 and 29,500 citations, and 15 Best Paper Awards. She delivered 30 keynote presentations at international conferences including 2025 IEEE International Conference on Communications. She has supervised 35 PhD students, 30 MASc students, 27 postdoctoral fellows, and 100 undergraduate co-op students and research assistants.
Weihua is a Fellow of the IEEE, Royal Society of Canada, Canadian Academy of Engineering, and Engineering Institute of Canada.