Rui de Figueiredo
Encyclopedia
Rui Jose Pacheco de Figueiredo is an electrical engineer, mathematician, computer scientist, and a professor of electrical engineering
, computer engineering
, and applied mathematics
at the University of California, Irvine
.
, India
where he grew up. After graduating from high school, he left India to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, where he received a BS degree
in 1950, and an MS degree
in 1952. He subsequently received a PhD
from Harvard University
in 1959.
De Figueiredo worked as a consultant for the Portuguese Atomic Energy Commission while finishing his PhD
, and upon graduation, became the head of the Applied Math and Physics Division of the Nuclear Research Center, in Sacavem, Portugal
. In 1962, he returned to the United States to take a tenured position as an Associate Professor in the School of Electrical Engineering at Purdue University
. In 1965, he became a Full Professor jointly appointed in the Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Applied Mathematics at Rice University
. In 1990, de Figueiredo moved to Irvine
, California
, where he is a Professor in both the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department and Mathematics Department at the University of California at Irvine. He also was founder and Director of the Laboratory for Intelligent Signal Processing and Communications at UCI.
De Figueiredo is married to Isabel Colaco de Figueiredo and has five children, Alcina Dalton, Paulo (Paul) de Figueiredo, Joao (John) de Figueiredo, Rui de Figueiredo, Jr., and Miguel (Michael) de Figueiredo. Rui, Jr., is a professor at Haas School of Business
.
, signal processing
, image processing
, and neural networks
. In the early 1970s, de Figueiredo introduced approaches for generalized splines for optimal signal based recovery to the field of signal processing. One of his most well-known contributions was the invention and study of the Generalized Fock space
F, a Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Space
of input-output maps of generic nonlinear dynamical systems, and used a “linear” orthogonal projection in F for optimal recovery of such “nonlinear” maps from the input-output data. This approach extended to nonlinear systems the powerful orthogonal projection method, previously used exclusively for linear systems. The analytics behind this approach are represented as neural networks, which ultimately led to the development of de Figueiredo’s Optimal Interpolation neural network and CDL neural network. Related to his work in neural networks, de Figueiredo is also known for his contributions to the understanding of nonlinear filters. In this area, de Figueiredo developed filters for adaptive image restoration, for image contrast sharpening tuned to human visual perception based on Munsell’s scale, and for non-Gaussian noise suppression.
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
, computer engineering
Computer engineering
Computer engineering, also called computer systems engineering, is a discipline that integrates several fields of electrical engineering and computer science required to develop computer systems. Computer engineers usually have training in electronic engineering, software design, and...
, and applied mathematics
Applied mathematics
Applied mathematics is a branch of mathematics that concerns itself with mathematical methods that are typically used in science, engineering, business, and industry. Thus, "applied mathematics" is a mathematical science with specialized knowledge...
at the University of California, Irvine
University of California, Irvine
The University of California, Irvine , founded in 1965, is one of the ten campuses of the University of California, located in Irvine, California, USA...
.
Life and career
De Figueiredo was born in Panjim, GoaGoa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
where he grew up. After graduating from high school, he left India to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, where he received a BS degree
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in 1950, and an MS degree
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
in 1952. He subsequently received a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1959.
De Figueiredo worked as a consultant for the Portuguese Atomic Energy Commission while finishing his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
, and upon graduation, became the head of the Applied Math and Physics Division of the Nuclear Research Center, in Sacavem, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. In 1962, he returned to the United States to take a tenured position as an Associate Professor in the School of Electrical Engineering at Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
. In 1965, he became a Full Professor jointly appointed in the Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Applied Mathematics at Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
. In 1990, de Figueiredo moved to Irvine
Irvine, California
Irvine is a suburban incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the city has a population of 212,375 as of the 2010 census. However, the California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where he is a Professor in both the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department and Mathematics Department at the University of California at Irvine. He also was founder and Director of the Laboratory for Intelligent Signal Processing and Communications at UCI.
De Figueiredo is married to Isabel Colaco de Figueiredo and has five children, Alcina Dalton, Paulo (Paul) de Figueiredo, Joao (John) de Figueiredo, Rui de Figueiredo, Jr., and Miguel (Michael) de Figueiredo. Rui, Jr., is a professor at Haas School of Business
Haas School of Business
The Walter A. Haas School of Business, also known as the Haas School of Business or simply Haas, is one of 14 schools and colleges at the University of California, Berkeley....
.
Work
De Figueiredo is best known for his work developing novel mathematical foundations for the solution of fundamentally nonlinear problems, with applications in pattern recognitionPattern recognition
In machine learning, pattern recognition is the assignment of some sort of output value to a given input value , according to some specific algorithm. An example of pattern recognition is classification, which attempts to assign each input value to one of a given set of classes...
, signal processing
Signal processing
Signal processing is an area of systems engineering, electrical engineering and applied mathematics that deals with operations on or analysis of signals, in either discrete or continuous time...
, image processing
Image processing
In electrical engineering and computer science, image processing is any form of signal processing for which the input is an image, such as a photograph or video frame; the output of image processing may be either an image or, a set of characteristics or parameters related to the image...
, and neural networks
Neural Networks
Neural Networks is the official journal of the three oldest societies dedicated to research in neural networks: International Neural Network Society, European Neural Network Society and Japanese Neural Network Society, published by Elsevier...
. In the early 1970s, de Figueiredo introduced approaches for generalized splines for optimal signal based recovery to the field of signal processing. One of his most well-known contributions was the invention and study of the Generalized Fock space
Fock space
The Fock space is an algebraic system used in quantum mechanics to describe quantum states with a variable or unknown number of particles. It is named after V. A...
F, a Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Space
Hilbert space
The mathematical concept of a Hilbert space, named after David Hilbert, generalizes the notion of Euclidean space. It extends the methods of vector algebra and calculus from the two-dimensional Euclidean plane and three-dimensional space to spaces with any finite or infinite number of dimensions...
of input-output maps of generic nonlinear dynamical systems, and used a “linear” orthogonal projection in F for optimal recovery of such “nonlinear” maps from the input-output data. This approach extended to nonlinear systems the powerful orthogonal projection method, previously used exclusively for linear systems. The analytics behind this approach are represented as neural networks, which ultimately led to the development of de Figueiredo’s Optimal Interpolation neural network and CDL neural network. Related to his work in neural networks, de Figueiredo is also known for his contributions to the understanding of nonlinear filters. In this area, de Figueiredo developed filters for adaptive image restoration, for image contrast sharpening tuned to human visual perception based on Munsell’s scale, and for non-Gaussian noise suppression.
Selected publications
- 1971. “Optimal spline digital simulators of analog filters". With A.N. Netravali. IEEE Trans. on Circuit Theory, pp. 711–717, vol. CT-18, 1971.
- 1980. “A best approximation framework and implementation for simulation of large-scale non-linear systems". With T.A.W. Dwyer, III. IEEE Trans. on Circuits and Systems, pp. 1005–1014, vol. CAS-27, no. 11, 1980.
- 1986. “A general moment-invariants/attributed-graph method for 3D object recognition from a single image". With B. Bamieh. IEEE Journal of Robotics and Automation, pp. 31–41, vol. RA-2, no. 1, 1986.
- 1991. “A theory of photometric stereo for a class of diffuse, non-Lambertian surfaces". With H.D. Tagare. IEEE Trans. on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, pp. 133–152, vol. 13, no. 2, 1991.
- 1998. “A new neural network for cluster detection and labeling". With T. Eltoft. IEEE Trans. on Neural Networks, pp. 1021–1035, vol. 9, no. 5, 1998.
- 2002. “Sampled-Function Weighted Order Filters". With R. Oten. IEEE Trans. on Circuits and ystems—Part II: Analog and Digital Signal Processing, pp. 1–10, vol. 49, 2002.
Awards and honors
- Kapitsa Medal, 2009.
- Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, Foreign Member, 2007.
- George V. Chilingar Medal of Honor, 2007.
- International Informatization Academy, Member, 2004.
- Russian Popov Society, Honorary Member, 2004.
- Gh. Asachi Medal, 2003.
- IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems Guellemin-Cauer Best Paper Award, 2003.
- IEEE Circuits and Systems Society, Mac Van Valkenburg Society Award, 2002.
- IEEE Third Millennium Medal, 2000.
- IEEE Circuits and Systems Society Golden Jubilee Medal, 1999.
- IEEE Circuits and Systems Society, Distinguished Lecturer, 1996-2001.
- IEEE Circuits and Systems Society, Technical Achievement Award, 1994.
- IEEE Ocean Engineering Society, Distinguished Lecturer, 1992-1994.
- IEEE, ASA, AIAA Technical Educator of the Year, 1990.
- NCR Faculty Excellence, 1988.
- IEEE Life Fellow, 1976.