An IEEE member is elevated to the grade of IEEE Fellow for "unusual distinction in the profession and shall be conferred by the Board of Directors upon a person with an extraordinary record of accomplishments in any of the IEEE fields of interest". The number of members selected for elevation to Fellow in any year is limited to at most one-tenth of one percent of the total voting membership.

The grade of Fellow first appeared in the AIEE constitution of 1912. The IRE

Institute of Radio Engineers

The Institute of Radio Engineers was a professional organization which existed from 1912 until January 1, 1963, when it merged with the American Institute of Electrical Engineers to form the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers .-Founding:Following several attempts to form a...

established its Fellow grade in 1914. The AIEE and IRE merged to form the IEEE in 1963, which continued the Fellow grade of membership recognition that was used by its predecessors.