Tapan Kumar Sarkar ( bn, তপন কুমার সরকার; August 2, 1948 – March 12, 2021) was an Indian-American

electrical engineer Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

and Professor Emeritus at the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

. He was best known for his contributions to

computational electromagnetics Computational electromagnetics (CEM), computational electrodynamics or electromagnetic modeling is the process of modeling the interaction of electromagnetic fields with physical objects and the environment. It typically involves using computer ...

and

antenna theory In radio engineering, an antenna or aerial is the interface between radio waves propagating through space and electric currents moving in metal conductors, used with a transmitter or receiver. In transmission, a radio transmitter supplies a ...

. Sarkar was the recipient of

IEEE Electromagnetics Award The IEEE Electromagnetics Award was established by the IEEE Board of Directors in 1996. This award is presented for outstanding contributions to electromagnetics theory, application or education. It may be presented to an individual only. Reci ...

in 2020.

Biography

Sarkar was born on August 2, 1948, in

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. He obtained his

Bachelor of Technology A Bachelor of Technology (Latin ''Baccalaureus Technologiae'', commonly abbreviated as B.Tech. or BTech; with honours as B.Tech. (Hons.)) is an undergraduate academic degree conferred after the completion of a three to five-year program of studi ...

from

IIT Kharagpur Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT Kharagpur) is a public institute of technology established by the Government of India in Kharagpur, West Bengal, India. Established in 1951, the institute is the first of the IITs to be established ...

and

Master of Engineering A Master of Engineering (abbreviated MEng, M.E. or M.Eng.) is either an academic or professional master's degree in the field of engineering. International variations Australia In Australia, the Master of Engineering degree is a research deg ...

from

University of New Brunswick The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universities in North Americ ...

in 1969 and 1971, respectively. He received his

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

and

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

degrees from

in 1975. Between 1975 and 1976, Sarkar worked for TACO Division of

General Instrument General Instrument (GI) was an American electronics manufacturer based in Horsham, Pennsylvania, specializing in semiconductors and cable television equipment. They formed in New York City in 1923 as an electronics manufacturer. During the 1950s, ...

. Between 1976 and 1985, he was a faculty member at

Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is a private university, private research university in the town of Henrietta, New York, Henrietta in the Rochester, New York, metropolitan area. The university offers undergraduate and graduate degree ...

; he also briefly held a research fellowship position at Gordon McKay Laboratory for Applied Sciences in

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in between 1977 and 1978. In 1985, he became a professor at Syracuse University and held the position until his death. He died on March 12, 2021, in

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...

. Sarkar acted as an associate editor for the ''

IEEE Transactions on Electromagnetic Compatibility ''IEEE Transactions on Electromagnetic Compatibility'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published bimonthly by the IEEE Electromagnetic Compatibility Society. It covers electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and electromagnetic interference, as ...

'' in between 1986-1989 and for ''

IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation ''IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the IEEE Antennas & Propagation Society. It covers research on and applications of all aspects of antenna technology and the propagation of elec ...

'' in between 2004 and 2010. He was the 2014 president of

IEEE Antennas & Propagation Society The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering (and associated disciplines) with its corporate office in New York City and its operati ...

and the vice president of the Applied Computational Electromagnetics Society (ACES). Sarkar also served as board member for journals such as ''

Digital Signal Processing Digital signal processing (DSP) is the use of digital processing, such as by computers or more specialized digital signal processors, to perform a wide variety of signal processing operations. The digital signals processed in this manner are ...

'', ''

Journal of Electromagnetic Waves and Applications The ''Journal of Electromagnetic Waves and Applications'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Taylor & Francis in 18 issues per year. It covers electromagnetic wave theory and its applications, including but not limited to wave prop ...

'' and ''

Microwave and Optical Technology Letters ''Microwave and Optical Technology Letters'' is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Wiley-Blackwell. The editor-in-chief is Kai Chang (Texas A&M University). The journal covers technology that operates in wavelengths ranging fr ...

''. Sarkar was the president of OHRN Enterprises, Inc., an incorporated business specializing in computer services and system analysis.

Research and awards

Sarkar's research interests focused on "numerical solutions of operator equations arising in electromagnetics and

signal processing Signal processing is an electrical engineering subfield that focuses on analyzing, modifying and synthesizing ''signals'', such as audio signal processing, sound, image processing, images, and scientific measurements. Signal processing techniq ...

with application to system design." He is the author or co-author of more than 380 journal articles, as well as 16 books and, 32 book chapters. Along with his doctoral student Yingbo Hua, he developed the

generalized pencil-of-function method Generalized pencil-of-function method (GPOF), also known as matrix pencil method, is a signal processing technique for estimating a signal or extracting information with complex exponentials. Being similar to Prony and original pencil-of-function m ...

for

signal estimation In signal processing, a signal is a function that conveys information about a phenomenon. Any quantity that can vary over space or time can be used as a signal to share messages between observers. The ''IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing'' ...

with complex exponentials. Based on Sarkar's past work on the original pencil-of-function method, the technique is used in electromagnetic analyses of layered structures, antenna analysis and

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

signal processing. He is also the co-author of the general purpose electromagnetic solver,

HOBBIES A hobby is considered to be a regular activity that is done for enjoyment, typically during one's leisure time. Hobbies include collecting themed items and objects, engaging in creative and artistic pursuits, playing sports, or pursuing oth ...

. In 2010, Sarkar was chosen as the IEEE Distinguished Lecturer in Antennas and Propagation Systems. In 2020, he received

"for contributions to the efficient and accurate solution of computational electromagnetic problems in frequency and time domain, and for research in adaptive antennas." He previously was the recipient of Best Paper Awards of the ''IEEE Transactions on Electromagnetic Compatibility'' in 1979 and National Radar Conference in the 1997. Sarkar received honorary doctorate degrees from

Blaise Pascal University Blaise Pascal University (french: Université Blaise-Pascal), also known as Université Blaise Pascal, Clermont-Ferrand II or just Clermont-Ferrand II, was a public university with its main campus on in Clermont-Ferrand, France, with satellite l ...

Technical University of Madrid The Technical University of Madrid or sometimes called Polytechnic University of Madrid ( es, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, UPM) is a public university, located in Madrid, Spain. It was founded in 1971 as the result of merging different Te ...

and

Aalto University Aalto University ( fi, Aalto-yliopisto; sv, Aalto-universitetet) is a public research university located in Espoo, Finland. It was established in 2010 as a merger of three major Finnish universities: the Helsinki University of Technology, the He ...

, respectively in 1998, 2004 and 2012.

Selected publications

;Journal articles * * * * * * * * * ;Books * * * * *

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sarkar, Tapan Kumar 1948 births 2021 deaths People from Kolkata Indian emigrants to the United States American electrical engineers Indian electrical engineers American telecommunications engineers Microwave engineers Electrical engineering academics IIT Kharagpur alumni University of New Brunswick alumni Syracuse University College of Engineering and Computer Science alumni Rochester Institute of Technology faculty Syracuse University faculty People from Syracuse, New York American engineering writers 20th-century Indian non-fiction writers 21st-century Indian non-fiction writers 20th-century Indian engineers 21st-century Indian engineers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American engineers 21st-century American engineers Fellow Members of the IEEE American textbook writers Indian textbook writers