UTAR’s Senior Professor Prof Dr Yan Lei receives
IEEE SA Emerging Technology Award

Distinguished Senior Professor Prof Dr Yan Lei from UTAR’s Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science (LKC FES) has been honoured with the IEEE Standards Association (SA) Emerging Technology Award, recognising his leadership in establishing international standards for low-altitude sensing and hydrogen-powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems.

This award celebrates his pioneering contributions to remote sensing and UAV-based applications, marking a proud milestone for both UTAR and Malaysia.

The IEEE SA Emerging Technology Award is one of the association’s most prestigious honours. It recognises individuals, working groups, or companies that have initiated or progressed pioneering technologies within the IEEE SA open consensus process. Awardees are celebrated for work that is highly innovative, market-relevant, and that strengthens IEEE’s leadership in emerging technological fields.

Prof Yan is a leading authority in the emerging low-altitude economy, serving as a Professor at Peking University and as a Distinguished Senior Professor at UTAR. He has been instrumental in shaping international standards for low-altitude sensing and hydrogen-powered UAV systems. Through his leadership, he founded and now chairs the IEEE AerCom Low-Altitude Sensing Subcommittee, the first technical platform within IEEE dedicated to high-precision, high-mobility sensing in low-altitude domains. He also initiated the IEEE 1958 hydrogen energy UAV standards series, now recognised as a key pillar alongside other UAV standards series covering application, technology, and communication. Under his coordination, interfaces across these standards are aligned to support safe, long-endurance operations and interoperability across diverse UAV tasks.

Prof Yan’s leadership has fostered extensive collaboration across academia, industry, and public agencies, enabling wider adoption of UAV technologies in real-world applications across Asia and beyond. His work has accelerated engineering uptake, strengthened international partnerships, and contributed to the global development of low-altitude sensing and energy-enabled UAV systems.

When asked about the recognition, Prof Yan said, “It has been incredibly rewarding to see the technologies and standards we developed being adopted internationally. Collaborating with academic, industry, and public partners across Asia and beyond has shown me the real-world impact that standardisation and research can achieve.”

The award recognises Prof Yan’s sustained research and standardisation work in geoscience and remote sensing. While much of the core technical research was conducted at Peking University, UTAR provided essential administrative coordination and financial support, enabling active participation in the award process despite a demanding schedule. This collaboration has strengthened institutional ties between UTAR and Peking University, enhanced UTAR’s visibility on the international stage, and positioned the university as a key contributor to global UAV research and standards development.

Throughout his career, Prof Yan has played a pioneering role in building the international framework for low-altitude sensing and UAV-based applications. His initiatives have accelerated the adoption of UAV systems in real-world operations, bridging research, industry, and practical deployment. By establishing platforms such as the Low-Altitude Sensing Subcommittee and launching the IEEE 1958 hydrogen energy UAV standards series, he has set the foundation for safer, more interoperable, and long-endurance UAV operations worldwide.

The award, presented at the IEEE Standards Association Awards Ceremony on 7 December 2025 at The Westin, New Jersey, USA, recognised Prof Yan’s groundbreaking contributions to UAV technologies and low-altitude sensing, cementing his reputation as a global leader in UAV research and standards development.

Ir Prof Dr Chang Yoong Choon, representing UTAR and serving as the Dean of LKC FES, together with Ms Hou Yuelin from Peking University and officials from IEEE SA, attended the award ceremony on behalf of Prof Yan on 7 December 2025 in New Jersey, USA.