IET shortlists Syndem founder Qing-Chang Zhong for 2026 Achievement Medal

The Institution of Engineering and Technology has shortlisted Dr. Qing-Chang Zhong for a 2026 Achievement Medal, citing his work on SYNDEM and Virtual Synchronous Machine technology. The recognition underscores how Zhong’s research moved from theory to grid deployments, policy attention and a global standards framework.

Why it matters: - The IET shortlist spotlights work aimed at making power grids more stable as more generation, storage, EVs and flexible loads rely on power electronics. - Zhong’s SYNDEM and Virtual Synchronous Machine technologies are positioned as a common operating framework for autonomous, power-electronics-enabled grids. - The recognition adds international visibility to a body of work that has already moved into industry practice and standards.

What happened: - Syndem LLC said Dr. Qing-Chang Zhong has been shortlisted for a 2026 Achievement Medal by the Institution of Engineering and Technology. - The IET cited Zhong for a “field-defining contribution” by creating the Synchronised-and-Democratised architecture and Virtual Synchronous Machine technologies. - The IET Achievement Medals honor exceptional contributions to science, engineering or technology, with up to five established-career medals awarded across all engineering and technology fields.

The details: - Zhong created the Synchronized-and-Democratized, or SYNDEM, architecture to help heterogeneous grid resources share a common synchronization mechanism. - The architecture is designed to let generators, energy-storage systems, network converters, electric vehicles and flexible loads participate in voltage and frequency regulation based on their capabilities. - Zhong’s foundational VSM realization was the synchronverter, invented in 2008 and introduced in the 2011 paper “Synchronverters: Inverters That Mimic Synchronous Generators.” - His later work advanced VSM through self-synchronization, robust and universal droop control, reconfigurable inertia and damping, bounded operation and system-level stability methods. - Zhong’s 2016 IEEE Power Electronics Magazine cover article, “Virtual Synchronous Machines: A Unified Interface for Grid Integration,” framed VSM as a common dynamic interface for supply-side and load-side power-electronic resources. - The 2011 synchronverter paper ranks among the top three most-cited non-survey papers in the 44-year history of IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics. - The 2016 VSM article ranks among the top two most-cited and most-popular articles in the history of IEEE Power Electronics Magazine. - The work moved from research into large-scale engineering practice, policy recognition and international standardization. - During Zhong’s UK career at the University of Sheffield, his technical leadership helped establish VSM as one of State Grid Corporation of China’s Ten Key Science and Technology Innovation Projects. - State Grid later independently implemented and commissioned the 140-MW Zhangbei VSM demonstration. - SYNDEM and VSM were cited in the 2018 U.S. House hearing, “The Electric Grid of the Future.” - Zhong initiated IEEE Std 2988-2024 and chaired the working group that developed it. - Published in January 2025, IEEE Std 2988-2024 is the first global standard dedicated specifically to the use and functions of Virtual Synchronous Machines. - The standard provides an international consensus framework while remaining implementation-neutral. - Zhong is an IET Fellow, IEEE Fellow and Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. - Zhong founded Syndem LLC in Greater Chicago in 2017 to turn VSM technology and the SYNDEM architecture into products, field validation, education and broader deployment. - For technical details, the company pointed readers to Zhong’s book, Power Electronics-Enabled Autonomous Power Systems: Next Generation Smart Grids. - For hands-on workforce development, the company pointed readers to SYNDEM Smart Grid Research and Educational Kits.

Between the lines: - The shortlist reflects a broader shift from lab-scale innovation to grid standards, utility demonstrations and policy discussion. - The IET recognition also validates a technology pathway that aims to make inverter-dominated power systems behave more like stable, synchronous grids without relying on legacy machinery.

What's next: - The IET will select up to five established-career Achievement Medal recipients across engineering and technology. - Syndem is continuing to commercialize products and platforms for autonomous, stable, reliable, secure and resilient power-electronic energy systems. - Zhong said the recognition is meaningful because it reflects a long-term effort to turn SYNDEM and VSM into practical approaches for autonomous, stable and resilient grids. - Zhong also said he is grateful to colleagues, collaborators, students, industry partners and standards participants who contributed along the way.

The bottom line: - Zhong’s shortlist ties a long-running research program to a wider push for grid-forming power electronics, and gives SYNDEM and VSM another level of global validation.