Wei Shaojun, Director of the Institute of Microelectronics of Tsinghua University, has been honored with the 2020 Industrial Pioneer Award from the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society, according to an announcement on the society’s official website.

He is Tsinghua’s first faculty member to win that honor.
According to the website, Wei was honored for “pioneering the implementation and manufacturing of smart chip and Integrated IDs in modern computing and communication systems”.
Established in 1999, the award recognizes individuals with exceptional and pioneering contributions in translating academic and industrial research results into improved industrial applications and/or commercial products.
It has been given to 18 scientists and researchers across the globe since its inception. The winners include Rob A. Rutenbar (2007), Vice Chancellor at the University of Pittsburgh, Analog Devices Fellow Robert W. Adams (2016), who is also a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), newly elected NAE academician Reza Rofougaran (2018), and Ulrich L. Rohde (2019), a famous expert in microwave and radio frequency technology.
Wei is well known as a leading expert in integrated circuits design in China. He is devoted to research on VLSI design methodologies and reconfigurable Computing chip technologies. He has a cluster of globally influential achievements and has made a big impact in both academic and industrial circles.
Wei has also won the second prize of the National Technological Invention Award, the second prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award, and the gold award of China Patent Award co-organized by the National Intellectual Property Administration and the World Intellectual Property Organization.
In addition, he was awarded by Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) for his outstanding contribution to the industry. At the fifth World Internet Conference, Wei was honored for his leading global scientific achievements. In 2019, he was elected as IEEE fellow.
As a crucial scientist in China’s IC industry, Wei is also a member of the National Integrated Circuit Industry Development Advisory Committee and chief scientist of the national key science and technology project for integrated circuits.
His titles also include Vice President of the China Semiconductor Industry Association (CSIA) and president of the CSIA Fabless Chapter.
The IEEE, or the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, is an international organization of engineers and electrical technology and information scientists and the largest non-profit technical professional association in the world.
The IEEE Circuits and Systems Society, or IEEE-CASS, is the largest society within the institute. Its mission is to “foster CASS members across disciplines to address humanity’s grand challenges by conceiving and pioneering solutions to fundamental and applied problems in circuits and systems”.