Distinguished Lecturer Program

The Distinguished Lecturer Program (DLP) is sponsored by the IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Society (ITSS) and managed by its Education Committee.  The Distinguished Lecturer Program connects Senior IEEE ITSS members, who are renowned intelligent transportation experts, with ITSS Chapters so they can share their knowledge, expertise, and insights into the future of ITS technology.

The DLP is aimed at promoting the research areas of the IEEE Intelligent Transportation Society in conjunction with its Technical Committees. The DLP is intended for ITSS Chapters and Student Branch Chapters that do not regularly have the funding to invite international speakers or to travel to their local events with no or minimal other funding.

The program aims to:

The solicitation for Distinguished Lecturers (DLs) is now open!

We expect that an IEEE ITSS DL shall be a highly impactful and internationally recognized scholar and educator, a long-standing ITSS members, have a past record of ITSS activity ( e.g., conferences, administration, publications), and be able to promote ITSS activities at the lectures. As part of the evaluation, additional criteria would be considered, including stature of nominee (with a focus on internationally established scholars) and geographical region.

• Deadline: September 1, 2026 and annually thereafter.
• Nominations and renewals are reviewed by the ITSS Education Committee.

The purpose of the IEEE Distinguished Lecturer program is to provide the ITSS local chapters with outstanding speakers for meetings, conferences, and other events and to recognize the professional contributions of the selected Distinguished Lecturers. The program encourages the collection, dissemination and sharing of technical knowledge.

Procedure

The procedure for requesting an ITSS Distinguished Lecturer (DL) should be initiated at least three months prior to the planned event.

The requester is encouraged to identify 1–3 preferred DLs. An up-to-date list of ITSS DLs is available on the IEEE ITSS Education website.

For Chapters that wish to request funding to invite a DL for an in-person visit, the Chapter Chair should complete the Funding Request Form, available on the IEEE ITSS Chapters page. Before requesting funding, the Chapter should contact the proposed DL(s) to confirm availability, interest, and tentative dates. This preliminary coordination helps avoid delays, scheduling conflicts, and unsuccessful requests.

Chapters are strongly encouraged to combine DL visits with student, Young Professionals (YP), Women in Engineering (WiE), or industry engagement activities to maximize local impact.

Once the Funding Request Form is submitted, the ITSS Membership Activities Committee will review the request and may seek additional information if needed. After approval, the requesting Chapter and the selected DL will be notified. The Chapter and the DL will then coordinate the event details, including the speaking date and travel arrangements.

Once the arrangements are finalized, the requester must confirm the event by sending an email to the VP of Membership Activities and the VP of Educational Activities.

Finally, the requesting organization/chapter must submit a DL Report within 30 days of the event. Chapter chairs must submit the report through the activity report form located on the Chapter website.

Financial Support

The total cost of a DL’s travel may be supported up to a maximum of USD 3,000, in accordance with the IEEE ITSS Reimbursement Procedures for Travel and Other Expenses.

Note that this reimbursement is made directly to the lecturer for approved travel expenses.

As ITSS aims to support as many Chapters as possible, priority may be given to requests from Chapters that have not previously received funding within the same calendar year.