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Change in CPES Leadership

Jul 01, 2021


On July 1st, CPES will welcome Rolando Burgos as its third center director. Dushan Boroyevich, who served as deputy director from 1995 to 2017, will return to his previous role.

Rolando Burgos
The weight of leadership in such an esteemed organization is considerable, but Burgos is certainly up to the task. Says Boroyevich, "Rolando has been with CPES since 2002, except for a 3-year stint at ABB U.S. Corporate Research Center, Raleigh, NC, and now is the most productive professor in CPES in terms of projects, graduate students, publications, etc." Additionally, Boroyevich will remain active in a supporting role with which he is intimately familiar.
  • 2002 - Ph.D., Chile
  • 2002 - Res. Assistant Prof., CPES
  • 2009 - Principal Scientist, ABB
  • 2012 - Associate Prof., CPES
  • 2019 - Professor, CPES
  • 2021 - Deputy Director, CPES

Dushan Boroyevich
Dushan's leadership accomplishments are extraordinary. Assuring continuity of one of the world's foremost academic research centers was the first challenge he faced after assuming CPES directorship 4 years ago. Several long-serving staff members followed CPES-founder Fred Lee into retirement. Boroyevich was hands-on in evaluating organizational needs, reorganizing center roles and hiring personnel to address them, and encouraging all the new faces to work together seamlessly.
  • 1986 - Ph.D., Virginia Tech
  • 1986 - Assistant Prof., Yugoslavia
  • 1990 - Associate Prof., CPES
  • 1995 - Deputy Director, CPES
  • 2017 - Director, CPES

Another accomplishment has been success in expanding and strengthening CPES with new faculty, facilities, research directions, and funding. Since 2018, Dong Dong, Yuhao Zhang, and Christina DiMarino have joined the center as teaching faculty, while Igor Cvetkovic, Bo Wen, Ming Xiao, Eric Hsieh and Boran Fan, are new research faculty. In terms of facilities, the CPES Arlington lab is now an impressive 1,800 square foot showcase for power electronics research, including a new packaging lab that completes the center capabilities in the National Capitol Region. Lab space in Blacksburg increased as well with new facilities on the 6th floor of Whittemore Hall, improved equipment, and new expanded experimental resources. As a result of these gains in researchers and facilities, the number of research proposals submitted annually has doubled and the amount of sponsored research funding increased dramatically.

But, what Boroyevich considers his proudest achievement as CPES director was successfully navigating CPES through the COVID 19 pandemic, without a single infection. His leadership enabled the industrious, creative, and collaborative spirit of CPES faculty, staff, students, and scholars to overcome epochal adversities. Not only was the center's world-leading research and education in power electronics maintained, but research output actually increased by many measures.

In assuming his new role as CPES director, Burgos knows he has large shoes to fill. "It is with great honor and an immense sense of responsibility that I will humbly assume the directorship of CPES this summer. I will try my very best to follow in the footsteps of Drs. Fred Lee and Dushan Boroyevich, who have set us on a path of excellence and success matched by few, with an unparalleled record of accomplishments, an unstoppable work ethic, and an absolute full commitment to the center."

Learn more about https://cpes.vt.edu/news/news/975

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