Bimal Kumar Bose (Bengali: গিমল কুমার বসু; born September 1, 1932), also known as B. K. Bose, is an electrical engineer, artificial intelligence researcher, scientist, and educator who is a professor emeritus of power electronics in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in the United States.^[2,3] Born in Calcutta (Kolkata), India, he received a B.E. from Bengal Engineering College (Calcutta University / Bengal Engineering & Science University / Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur), an M.S. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a Ph.D. from Calcutta University.^[1]

Regarded as a pioneer in power electronics and known for the global promotion of power electronics and motor drives, Bose was elected as a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2017 for advancing power electronics technology, power conversion, and education, and was elected a fellow of the International Core Academy of Sciences and Humanities in 2024.^[3] His honors and distinctions include being an IEEE Life Fellow and receiving the IEEE Lamme Medal, the IEEE IES Eugene Mittelmann Award, the IEEE IAS Outstanding Achievement Award, the IEEE Newell Award, the IEEE Millennium Medal, the IEEE Meritorious Award, and the IEEE Region 3 Outstanding Engineer Award.

Bose was born in Calcutta (now Kolkata), India. He received his B.E. degree (1956) from Bengal Engineering College under the University of Calcutta (now Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur (IIEST Shibpur)), an M.S. degree (1960) from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a PhD degree (1966) from the University of Calcutta. Bose started his career in India in 1960 and emigrated to the USA in 1971 to join Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY as a faculty member (1971–1976), then moved to GE Corporate Research and Development (now GE Global Research Center) in Schenectady, NY as a research engineer (1976–1987), before joining the University of Tennessee as a Chaired Professor (1987–2003). Concurrently, he served as the Chief Scientist (1987–1989) and Distinguished Scientist (1989–2000) of the EPRI-Power Electronics Applications Center.^[4,6,7]

Bose held the Condra Chair of Excellence in Power Electronics at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he organized its power electronics teaching and research program for 15 years, establishing the foundation of the program and building it into a global center-point. Dean of Engineering Wayne Davis commented: "He strengthened the program and paved the way for landing the National Science Foundation-backed CURENT program. His efforts have helped both our college and the world at large".^[13] He was a visiting professor at Aalborg University, Denmark (1997), University of Padova, Italy (2003), Federal University of Mato Grosso Sul, Brazil (2006), Savilla University, Spain (2008), and European PhD School on Power Electronics, Italy (2010). He has also served as a consultant to numerous agencies and industries, including the National Science Foundation, Electric Power Research Institute, USDA, Research Triangle Institute, GE-CRD, Bendix Corporation, Fuji Electric, Ansaldo, General Dynamics, Lutron Electronics, PCI Ozone Corporation, American Superconductors, Emerson Electric, Kolmorgen Corporation, and Delco Remy.

Recognized as a world-renowned authority and pioneer in power electronics, his contributions encompass high frequency link power conversion, advanced control techniques by microcomputers, fuzzy logic and neural networks, transistor ac power switches for matrix converters, adaptive hysteresis-band current control, and power electronics applications in environmental protection to help solve climate change problems. Bose has contributed extensively to research in power electronics and motor drives, receiving frequent citations, and has promoted the field globally through his books, publications, patents, tutorials, invited seminars, and keynote speeches.^[5,6,7] Reflecting on his discipline, Bose stated, "I have helped pioneer the advancement of artificial intelligence applications in power electronics and motor drives. In any technology advancement, our goal should be its application solely for the benefit of mankind," and noted that "A truly successful person should have a blend of professional expertise and human qualities".^[13] In his article "Eleven Years in Corporate Environment", he wrote: "Research ideas do not necessarily come within the 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. work day office. The thoughts linger most of the time beyond the office hours, and often new ideas come when I am taking bath, walking alone in the evening, or even in the midnight when I suddenly wake up with the flash of new idea. There is no difference between scientific research and transcendental meditation." Bose remains a powerful presence in the power electronics community.^[8] On 19 January 2013, he received an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee.^[9] The IEEE Industrial Electronics Society Magazine published a dedicated special issue in June 2009 titled "Honoring Dr. Bimal Bose and Celebrating His Contributions in Power Electronics", and the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society established the annual Dr. Bimal Bose Energy Systems Award in 2014, funded by the IES and IEEE Foundation.^[10]

While delivering the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society Distinguished Lecture on 23 November 2015 in the Denver Chapter, Dr. Paul Johnson, President of Colorado School of Mines, introduced Dr. Bose with the following quotation: "Coming from a remote village of Bangladesh (then part of India) and being born into a large poor family, it was my dream to see the whole world with my own eyes and make important contributions to the world. I had to overcome mountainous hurdles, step by step, to fulfill the ambitious goals in life and reach where I am today. Although my goals are yet unfulfilled, I often feel that I am the happiest person on earth. Achieving the goals of life requires persistent ambition, courage, and hard work, but when you reach the top of the Himalayan mountain, the mind remains filled with perennial pleasures. My advice to young engineers: have a dream in life and try to realize that dream with hard work. Have a long-term ambition and short-term career goals, with the fire always burning in your mind".^[11,12] Bose is married to Arati Bose, and they have two children: daughter Papia Ferguson and son Amit Bose.

Bose is the sole author or editor of either seven or eight books in power electronics, some of which have been translated into several foreign languages and are widely used as textbooks throughout the world. His book "Power Electronics and AC Drives" (1986) is the first English language textbook in the power electronics and motor drives area. His publications include Adjustable Speed AC Drive Systems (IEEE Press, 1981), Microcomputer Control of Power Electronics and Drives (IEEE Press, 1987), Modern Power Electronics (IEEE Press, 1992), Power Electronics and Variable Frequency Drives (Wiley/IEEE Press, 1997), Modern Power Electronics and AC Drives (Prentice-Hall, 2001), and Power Electronics and AC Drives (Prentice-Hall, 1986). He also authored Power Electronics and Motor Drives-Advances and Trends (Elsevier/Academic Press, first edition 2006 and second edition 2020) and Power Electronics in Renewable Energy Systems and Smart Grid (Wiley/IEEE Press, 2019).

Publications from the 1970s include "A frequency step up cycloconverter using power transistors in inverse series mode" (1976, Int’l. Jour. of Electronics, vol. 41: 573–587) and "High frequency link power conversion" (1977, IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl., vol. 13: 387–393). Subsequent articles include "A high- performance inverter-fed drive system of an interior permanent magnet synchronous machine" (1988, vol. 24: 987–999) and "An adaptive hysteresis band current control technique of a voltage-fed PWM inverter for machine drive system" (1990, IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron., vol. 37: 402–408).

In 2007, he published "Neural network applications in power electronics and motor drives" in IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron (vol. 54: 14–33). In 2009, his publications included "The Past, Present and Future of Power Electronics" in IEEE Industrial Electronics Magazine (1–5) and "Power Electronics and Motor Drives – Recent Progress and Perspective" in IEEE Trans. On Industrial Electronics (vol. 56: 581–588). Later works include "Global energy scenario and impact of power electronics in 21st century" (2013, IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron, vol. 60: 2638–2651), "Doing Research in Power Electronics" (2015, IEEE IES Magazine, vol. 9: 6–17), and "Power Electronics – My Life and Vision for the Future" (2022, IEEE IES Magazine, vol. 16: 65–72).

Bose's academic recognitions began early in his career when he was awarded the Calcutta University Mouat Gold Medal and was named a Premchand Roychand Scholar in 1970. He was appointed an Honorary Professor at Shanghai University, China, in 1991; an Honorary Professor at the China University of Mining and Technology in 1996; an Honorary Professor and Honorary Director of the EE Institute at Xi’an Mining Institute, China, in 1998; and a Guest Professor at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in 2003. Bengal Engineering and Science University (BESU) in India presented him with the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2006 and later conferred upon him an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from the President of India during its Annual Convocation in January 2013. In addition, he was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2017, received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Bengal Engineering College Alumni Association of USA and Canada in 2018, and was elected a fellow of the International Core Academy of Sciences and Humanities in 2024.

Bose was named an IEEE Fellow in 1989 and an IEEE Life Fellow in 1996. Throughout his career, he received numerous IEEE awards, including the IEEE Industry Applications Society Outstanding Achievement Award (1993), the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society Dr. Eugene Mittelmann Award (1994), the IEEE Region 3 Outstanding Engineer Award (1994), the IEEE Lamme Medal (1996), the IEEE Meritorious Achievement Award in Continuing Education (1997), the IEEE Millennium Medal (2000), and the IEEE Power Electronics Society William W. Newell Award (2005). In June 2009, the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society dedicated a special issue of IEEE IES Magazine to him, titled "Honoring Dr. Bimal Bose and Celebrating His Contributions in Power Electronics" with his photograph on the front cover. In 2014, the IEEE IES established the annual Dr. Bimal Bose Energy Systems Award in his honor.