Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ernst Gockenbach

The Hans Prinz Award 2025 is presented to Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ernst Gockenbach in recognition of his outstanding and long-standing contributions to high voltage engineering, research, and education.

Prof. Gockenbach received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the Technical University of Darmstadt in 1974 and 1979, respectively. After industrial positions with Siemens AG in Berlin and Haefely AG in Basel, he was appointed professor of high voltage engineering and director of the Schering-Institute of High Voltage Engineering at Leibniz University Hannover in 1990, a position he held until his retirement in 2014.

He has played leading roles in numerous international organizations, including serving as Chairman of IEC TC 42 “High-voltage and high-current test techniques,” Secretary and Chairman of CIGRE Study Committees, and as a member of various IEEE, IEC, and CIGRE working groups. He has also served on advisory boards of major international conferences and editorial boards of leading journals.

Prof. Gockenbach has been a key supporter of ISH for decades, actively participating since 1979 with publications and student involvement. He served as the General Chair of ISH 2011 in Hannover, and since then has been a dedicated member of the International Steering Committee, contributing significantly to the development and success of the symposium.

His remarkable achievements have been recognized with numerous honors, including IEEE Life Fellowship, Honorary Membership of CIGRE, the CIGRE Distinguished Member Award, the IEC 1906 Award, and the IEEE Working Group Recognition Award.

Based on these outstanding achievements, the International Steering Committee decided to present the Hans Prinz Award 2025 to Prof. Ernst Gockenbach.

Hans Prinz Award Lecture at ISH2025

Hans Prinz Award was presented to Prof. Ernst Gockenbach.
Award lecture entitled “Innovation against Standardization” was given at plenary session.

Hans Prinz Award Lecture, 25th Aug. 2025

Awarding ceremony at banquet, 28th Aug 2025

The International Symposium on High Voltage Engineering (ISH) invites nominations for the prestigious Hans Prinz Award. This accolade recognizes the significant contributions by the awardee to high voltage engineering research, teaching, and technological development, thus celebrating the visionary legacy of Professor Hans Prinz.

Professor Hans Prinz

A Graduate with a Dipl.-Ing. in electrical engineering from the Technical University of Munich (TH Munich) in 1930, Professor Prinz initially worked at Brown, Boveri & Cie (BBC) and later joined the Siemens-Schuckert transformer factory in Nuremberg in 1934.

His academic endeavor continued at TH Munich under Professor Acton Schwaiger, where he conducted pioneering research on corona effects.

After earning his doctorate in 1935 with the thesis "DC Corona", and after completing his habilitation on a new law of “tension” losses at AC corona, he was appointed in 1946 as an Ordinary Professor and Director of the Institute of High Voltage Engineering and Electrical Power Systems at TH Munich.

Throughout his career, he was instrumental in fields such as electrical drives, measurement technology, power plant technology, and high voltage engineering. His work culminated in the publication of "High Voltage Fields" in 1969, and he significantly enhanced the department of "Electrical Power Engineering" at the Deutsches Museum in Munich.

Nomination Requirements

• Nominators must clearly outline the nominee’s contributions to high voltage research, engineering, and education.
• Nominations must include the nominee’s CV, a list of publications, and a report on their professional accomplishments.
• Each nomination must be supported by one individual, who will co-sign the nomination letter to validate the claims and endorsements made.

Submission Process

Nominations, including the co-signed support letter, should be submitted via e-mail to the Secretary of the LOC, Dr. Tsuguhiro Takahashi, at hpac_secretariat@ish2025.org.

• Submission Deadline: November 17th, 2024

Award Presentation

The awardee will be honored at ISH2025 and the awardee shall also deliver the Hans Prinz Memorial Lecture. The awardee will receive a certificate and their attendance at the symposium will be sponsored by the organizers, covering conference costs including accommodation, registration, and travel.

We invite your nominations to honor those who have made outstanding contributions to our field. For submissions and further inquiries, please contact hpac_secretariat@ish2025.org.

Past Recipients of The Hans Prinz Award