Name writer by surname when citing Normally when writing technical reports, I just cite an article something like this:


  In the case of binary classifications, the softmax activation function
  is not efficient [1].


But if something is so crucial for a large part of the entire report, it feels like I should mention the surname of the author who contributed greatly in the area I'm writing about. So, should I do this? If so, how do I write that an entire section is based on a book (actually a PhD thesis) written by some person?

Would it be correct to write like this:


  Based on X [1], this section describes...,


where X is the surname of the author.

Or does it need to be written more clearly, like this:


  Based on the PhD thesis by X [1], ...
You can mention the name, and then reference the thesis.

I would write something like...


  Anderson [1] describes blah blah


Or something like that. But you don't have to mention the name so much as the concept or evidence, for example...


  Incentive salience explains a system of hedonic processing which draws  attention to rewarding stimuli based upon...etc [1]


*Incentive salience is theory developed by Robinson and Berridge, and is crucial to understanding hedonic processing. But I don't personally always refer to authors surnames in text. Appropriate citation to the references is more important. The writing style is up to you, but if you which to refer to a specific section you can add the page to the main text i.e.


  Chapter 4 of Morpheus's thesis found the Matrix to be all around us [1,
  p.15].


I wouldn't personally write like this, but it is acceptable for an undergraduate project, and as a comment on my answer mentioned, some people prefer reading the reference name. 

Please see the linked pdf for some rules regarding referencing in the IEEE style. I also found this answer on the writers stack regarding IEEE referencing of thesis material, which could be of some use. 

Robinson, T. E., &amp; Berridge, K. C. (2008). The incentive sensitization theory of addiction: some current issues. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 363(1507), 3137–3146. http://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2008.0093