IEEE Spectrum breed · Technologie

Digital Signal Processing Pioneer Bede Liu Dies At 91

Bede Liu, a foundational figure in digital signal processing, passed away on May 7 at the age of 91. His work significantly influenced the transition from analog to digital signal processing, impacting modern communications, multimedia, and consumer electronics.

Liu, an IEEE Life Fellow, dedicated over 50 years to teaching electrical engineering at Princeton University, where he also chaired the electrical and computer engineering department from 1994 to 1997. His research was instrumental in developing the mathematical and engineering techniques that underpin current technologies like cellphone calls, streaming video, and internet communications, making sophisticated processing practical on devices with limited power.

Born in Shanghai in 1934, Liu earned his bachelor's degree from National Taiwan University and master's and doctoral degrees from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn. He joined Princeton in 1962 after a fellowship at Bell Labs. Liu co-authored the influential 1976 textbook "Digital Signal Processing: Theory, Design, and Implementation," published 250 technical papers, and held 12 U.S. patents, including one for a parallel bit processing hardware design that enhanced computing efficiency.

Beyond his research, Liu mentored 53 doctoral students, many of whom achieved distinguished careers, including Robert Kahn, a co-creator of the modern Internet's architecture. In his later career, Liu focused on media integrity and copyright issues, co-authoring "Multimedia Data Hiding" and contributing to research that exposed vulnerabilities in watermarking technologies.

Liu was an active IEEE volunteer, serving on its Board of Directors and as president of the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society. He was recognized with memberships in the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and China's Academia Sinica and Chinese Academy of Sciences. Colleagues remember him for his humility, humor, and encouraging spirit.

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