Verdu recognized for information theory work

The Information Theory Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers has recognized electrical engineering professor Sergio Verdu with its most prestigious honor, the 2007 Claude E. Shannon Award, for his "consistent and profound contributions to the field of information theory."

In June, Verdu delivered the Shannon Lecture at the IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory in Nice, France.

Verdu, who also is affiliated with the Program in Applied and Computational Mathematics, explores the fundamental limits of data transmission and compression systems in his research. He joined the University faculty in 1984 after receiving his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

A past president of the IEEE Information Theory Society, Verdu currently serves as editor-in-chief of the journal Foundations and Trends in Communications and Information Theory. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering earlier this year and has been a fellow of the IEEE since 1992. Among his numerous previous honors are five IEEE paper awards, the IEEE Third Millennium Medal and the Frederick E. Terman Award from the American Society for Engineering Education.