John P. Verboncoeur, FIEEE
Nominated by the IEEE Board of Directors
Senior Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, and
Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Professor of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan, USA
Verboncoeur is senior associate dean for research and graduate studies in Michigan State University’s (MSU) engineering college. He founded the computational engineering science program at UC-Berkeley in 2001, chairing it until 2010. In 2015 he cofounded the MSU computational mathematics, science, and engineering department. His research area is plasma physics, with over 500 publications and over 6,600 citations.
He serves on the Boards of Physics of Plasmas, the American Center for Mobility, and the U.S. Department of Energy Fusion Energy Science Advisory Committee.
Verboncoeur led startups developing digital exercise and health systems, a consumer credit report, and a role in developing the U.S. Postal Service’s mail-forwarding system.
His IEEE experience includes 2023 Vice-President of Technical Activities, 2020 acting Vice-President of Publication Services and Products Board, 2019-2020 Division IV Director, and 2015-2016 President of the Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society.
He received a Ph.D. in 1992 in nuclear engineering from UC-Berkeley.
Meet John by watching a brief video.
Ensure IEEE remains THE premier professional technical organization, deliver value via new participants, products and programs, including events, publications, and innovative personalized products and services, to enable our community to change the world. Key strategic programs include:
Climate Change Technologies (CCT): Existential to humanity, addressing mitigation and adaptation must include technology R&D, local relevance for practitioners, university and K-12 students, the general public, media and policymakers and local and global standards.
Smart Agrofood Systems (SmartAg): Smart technologies applied to the food supply chain from soil to consumer to compost.
Artificial Intelligence (AI): Implications from technology to business to ethics. A key methodology for providing personalized IEEE products and services within our existing portfolio, and engaging new audiences such as technology decision makers in academia, government and technology finance by extracting value from our vast data to identify emerging trends.
Organizational growth opportunities include scaling and coordinating our public policy strategy worldwide, building on our credibility to inform and educate. Global communications capability is critical to coordinate and amplify our impact. Lastly, we need to enhance our ability to execute IEEE-wide programs and initiatives, from investment in transformative tools and products to mission-based education, outreach and engagement. This can be accomplished by judicious use of resources generated by business activities through creation of a strategic program to invest in our future with the goal of advancing technology for humanity.
With a passion for the nexus of technology with finance and public policy, I hope to earn your support.
(M’94-SM’08-F’13)
IEEE Accomplishments:
- As TABin2030 AdHoc Chair (2016), led the analysis of, and successful opposition to, the proposed IEEE Constitutional Amendment.
- As TAB SmartAg AdHoc Chair (2017), led over 20 societies/Councils in the application of technology to the food supply chain, created conferences and special sessions.
- As VP/President of NPSS, repaired rift with EMBS over co-sponsored journal (Transactions on Medical Imaging), worked with EMBS to create new journal (Transactions on Radiation and Plasma Medical Science).
- As President of NPSS, initiative to improve NPSS journal impact factors using email blasts, editor-select papers, and elimination of page charges resulted in a 50% increase in impact factor over three years.
- As IEEE InfoTrans AdHoc Chair (2019) led update to meeting and referendum election transparency to ensure equal voice for all members.
- Key role in development of AI-based product concepts (AskIEEE, Foresight)
- Key role in development of Technical Communities 2.0 and Local Groups and ability to connect emerging global R&D topics to local geographic relevance.
- Initiated ongoing effort to develop funding model for large scale investment in new products, services, and mission imperatives.
IEEE/TAB/MGA:
- VP-Technical Activities (2023)
- TAB Management Committee (2017-2019, 2022-Present)
- TAB SmartAg AdHoc Chair (2017-2019)
- TAB/PSPB Products and Services Committee (2019-2021)
- Division IV Director (2019-2020)
- Acting VP PSPB (2020)
- TAB Technical Community 2.0 AdHoc (2020-Present)
- IEEE Industry Engagement Committee (2021-2023)
- IEEE Transparency in Meetings, Document Classification and Elections AdHoc Chair (2019)
- TABin2030 AdHoc Chair (2016)
- MGA-TAB Local Groups AdHoc Co-Chair (2020-2021)
REGION/SECTION/CHAPTER:
- Assisted in founding South-Eastern Michigan Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society Chapter (2015)
SOCIETY:
- Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society
- President (2015-2016)
- AdCom (2010-Present)
- Awards Chair (2019-2020)
- FinCom Vice-Chair (2021-Present)
- Co-founded Asia Pacific Conference on Plasma and Terahertz Science (2018)
- Distinguished Lecturer (2018-Present)
- Fellow (2013) Citation: For contributions to computational plasma physics and plasma device applications
Verboncoeur is senior associate dean for research in Michigan State University’s (MSU) engineering college, making use of his interests at the nexus of technology, finance, and public policy to set the strategic research direction for the college, including hiring and new initiatives.
He founded the computational engineering science program at UC-Berkeley (2001), chairing it until 2010. In 2015 he cofounded the MSU computational mathematics, science, and engineering department. He leads one of the top plasma physics simulation groups in the world, with over 500 publications and over 6,700 citations. His open-source codes are used globally in classrooms and in over 100 publications per year outside his group. He has mentored 11 postdoctoral researchers and over 20 graduate students with a key role in 14 more.
He serves on the boards of Physics of Plasmas, the American Center for Mobility, and the U.S. Department of Energy Fusion Energy Science Advisory Committee.
Verboncoeur has worked for large companies (CACI), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, as well as leading startups developing digital exercise and health systems, a Big-Three consumer credit report, and a role in developing the U.S. Postal Service’s mail-forwarding system.
He received a Ph.D. in 1992 in nuclear engineering from UC-Berkeley.
Recognitions:
- US DOE Fusion Energy Technology Fellowship (1987-1991)
- IEEE Fellow (2013) Citation: For contributions to computational plasma physics and plasma device applications
- Distinguished Lecturer, 2018+
- 2018 IEEE NPSS Shea Distinguished Member Award
- 2019 IEEE Plasma Science Applications Committee Award
- 2022 IEEE NPSS Birdsall Award
Accomplishments:
- Founded/Chaired University of California-Berkeley Computational Engineering Science program (2001-2010)
- Cofounded Michigan State University Computational Mathematics, Science and Engineering Department (2015)
- Created multidisciplinary SmartAg (Smart Agrofood Systems: Technology Applied to the Food Supply Chain from Soil to Compost) at both MSU and IEEE
- Created multidisciplinary MSU Mobility (6 colleges)
- Initiated IEEE semiconductor workforce credential program currently being built to train the next generation of technicians in the semiconductor manufacturing space, with the vision for subsequent credentialling programs in AI and sustainability
- Led digital fitness startup
- Led digital health startup
- Led startup to develop and license distributed consumer credit report for one of the Big-Three credit bureaus.
- Co-developed the U.S. Postal Service mail forwarding system (yellow labels when you move in the U.S.)
- Developed real-time visualization software for plasma simulations
Select Publications (from over 500 peer-reviewed publications):
- P. Verboncoeur, “Particle simulation of plasmas: review and advances”, Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion 47, A231-A260 (2005), invited.
- -Q. Wen, P. Zhang, Y. Fu, J. Krek, J.P. Verboncoeur, “Temporal single-surface multipactor dynamics under obliquely incident linearly polarized electric field,” Phys. Plasmas 26, 123509 (2019).
- -Q. Wen, A. Iqbal, P. Zhang, and J.P. Verboncoeur, “Suppression of single-surface multipactor discharges due to non-sinusoidal tangential electric field,” Phys. Plasmas 26, 093503 (2019).
- P. Verboncoeur, A. B. Langdon and N. T. Gladd, “An Object-Oriented Electromagnetic PIC Code”, Comp. Phys. Comm. 87, 199-207 (1995).
- P. Verboncoeur, M. V. Alves, V. Vahedi and C. K. Birdsall, “Simultaneous Potential and Circuit Solution for 1D Bounded Plasma Particle Simulation Codes”, J. Comput. Phys. 104 (1993).
