Richard Blahut''Richard E. Blahut'' was elected in 1990 as a member of
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy ...
chair
A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. They may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...
University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Universit ...
, is best known for his work in
information theory
Information theory is the scientific study of the quantification (science), quantification, computer data storage, storage, and telecommunication, communication of information. The field was originally established by the works of Harry Nyquist a ...
(e.g. the
Blahut–Arimoto algorithm
The term Blahut–Arimoto algorithm is often used to refer to a class of algorithms for computing numerically either the information theoretic capacity of a channel, the rate-distortion function of a source or a source encoding (i.e. compression ...
used in rate–distortion theory). He received his PhD Electrical Engineering from Cornell University in 1972.
Blahut was elected a member of the
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy ...
in 1990 for pioneering work in coherent emitter signal processing and for contributions to information theory and error control codes.
Academic life
Blahut taught at Cornell from 1973 to 1994. He has taught at Princeton University, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, the NATO Advanced Study Institute, and has also been a Consulting Professor at the South China University of Technology. He is also the
Henryk Magnuski
Henryk Władysław Magnuski (January 30, 1909 – May 4, 1978) was a Polish telecommunications engineer who worked for Motorola in Chicago. He was a primary contributor in the development of one of the first Walkie-Talkie radios, the Motorola SCR- ...
Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and is affiliated with the
Coordinated Science Laboratory
The Coordinated Science Laboratory (CSL) is a major scientific research laboratory at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. With deep roots in information technology, CSL has invented and deployed many landmark innovations, such as the el ...
.
Awards and recognition
* IEEE Claude E. Shannon Award, 2005
* IEEE Third Millennium Medal
* TBP Daniel C. Drucker Eminent Faculty Award 2000
*
IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal
The IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal is an award honoring ''"exceptional contributions to communications and networking sciences and engineering"'' in the field of telecommunications. The medal is one of the highest honors awarded by the Instit ...
1998, for "contributions to error-control coding, particularly by combining
algebraic coding theory
Coding theory is the study of the properties of codes and their respective fitness for specific applications. Codes are used for data compression, cryptography, error detection and correction, data transmission and data storage. Codes are studied ...
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy ...
1990
* Japanese Society for the Propagation of Science Fellowship 1982
* Fellow of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 1981
* Fellow of IBM Corporation, 1980
* IBM Corporate Recognition Award 1979
* IBM Outstanding Innovation Award 1978
* IBM Outstanding Contribution Award 1976
* IBM Resident Study Program 1969–1971
* IBM Outstanding Contribution Award 1968
Books
* ''Lightwave Communications'', with George C. Papen (Cambridge University Press, 2019)
* ''Cryptography and Secure Communication'', (Cambridge University Press, 2014)
* ''Modem Theory: An Introduction to Telecommunications'', (Cambridge University Press, 2010)
* ''Fast Algorithms for Signal Processing'', (Cambridge University Press, 2010)
* ''Algebraic Codes on Lines, Planes, and Curves: An Engineering Approach'', (Cambridge University Press, 2008)
* ''Theory of Remote Image Formation'', (Cambridge University Press, 2004)
* ''Algebraic Codes for Data Transmission'', (Cambridge University Press, 2003)
* ''Algebraic Methods for Signal Processing and Communications Coding'', (Springer-Verlag, 1992)
* ''Digital Transmission of Information'', (Addison–Wesley Press, 1990)
* ''Fast Algorithms for Digital Signal Processing'', (Addison–Wesley Press, 1985)
* ''Theory and Practice of Error Control Codes'', (Addison–Wesley Press, 1983)