Chunmeng Xu, Ph.D.
ABB Inc.
For distinguished technical contributions to the solid-state circuit breaker industry; for research talent rooted in profound curiosity and insight; and for her exceptional talent in teaching others.
Chunmeng Xu, Ph.D., is a senior research scientist at the ABB Corporate Research Center located in Raleigh, North Carolina. Since 2021, she has worked to develop world-leading circuit breakers and direct current protection solutions for residential, motion, and electrical transportation applications. She also participates in a project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office related to switchgear and electric vehicle charging infrastructure, regularly contributing to intellectual property filings, paper publications, and government funding proposals.
Previously, Dr. Xu worked at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) as a graduate assistant within the plasma and dielectric lab and delivered more than 10 technical milestones to programs sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy. She also conducted research in fast mechanical switches for hybrid circuit breakers, surge-protection devices, and insulation coordination.
While at Georgia Tech, Dr. Xu was an academic advisor and conducted critical research at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) in its High Voltage Laboratory. She also worked as a graduate teaching assistant and certified course instructor, for which she received the institute’s Graduate Teaching Assistant Excellence Award.
Dr. Xu is an active member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Industry Applications Society, IEEE Power and Energy Society, and Women in Engineering, where she met many of her current role models. She received the ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship from the Science Office at the Embassy of Switzerland in Washington, D.C., and earned a teaching associate certificate from the Georgia Tech Center for Teaching and Learning.
Recently, Dr. Xu received the Young Investigator Award from the 67th IEEE Holm Conference on Electrical Contacts, the 2022 Q2 Publishing Award from the ABB Corporate Research Center in the United States, and the Best Paper Award from the 2022 IEEE Transportation Electrification Conference and Expo.
Dr. Xu has been published in journals many times, and her work is frequently cited. She is a major technical contributor to developing innovations that will ensure a safe, bright, and sustainable future. She serves as a local chapter leader for Encompass Asians, ABB’s internal employee resource group.
Dr. Xu earned a B.S. in electrical engineering and automation at Xi’an Jiaotong University and an M.S. and Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering at Georgia Tech. During her doctoral program, she served as a thesis committee chair and published her thesis, “Control Strategies for Piezoelectrically Actuated Fast Mechanical Disconnect Switches for Hybrid Circuit Breakers.”
Outside of work, Dr. Xu enjoys crocheting gifts for loved ones and is working on a granny square blanket.