K.J. Ray Liu Elected to National Academy of Engineering

Former University of Maryland Distinguished University Professor K.J. Ray Liu has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Class of 2024 in recognition of his research in signal processing for wireless sensing with communications.

After more than thirty years of service, Liu retired from the University of Maryland Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) in 2021. He joined the department in 1990. During his tenure in ECE, he was widely recognized for many achievements in signal processing and communications, with a focus on wireless sensing and tracking. He led the University of Maryland Signal and Information Group and trained over 70 Ph.D. students and postdoctoral researchers.He served as Director of Graduate Studies and Associate Chair of ECE from 2006 to 2013, during which time he spearheaded a significant growth of the Master of Telecommunications (ENTS) program. He received the A. James Clark School of Engineering Faculty Service Award in 2012.

Liu has been the recipient of numerous external awards, including the IEEE Fourier Award for Signal Processing (2021), IEEE Leon K. Kirchmayer Graduate Teaching Award (2016), and Distinguished Alumni Award from the National Taiwan University (2021). He was named Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors in 2019. Contributions to his field of research include 12 books, more than 800 referenced journal and conference publications, and over 70 patents. His research interests include signal processing algorithms and architectures, multimedia communications and signal processing, wireless communications and networking, information security, and bioinformatics. He is an IEEE Fellow and served as IEEE President for 2022.

In 2013, Liu founded Origin Wireless, a start-up company pioneering wireless AI analytic technologies for smart home systems. Origin invented the world’s first centimeter-accuracy indoor positioning/tracking system, and the company’s patented Time-Reversal Machine (TRM) Technology has been applied to motion detection, home security, well-being monitoring, human breathing monitoring, and fall-down detection without wearables or cameras. His inventions won the prestigious 2017 CEATEC Grand Prix and CES 2020 Innovation Award, with products available in more than 150 countries worldwide. Learn more about his career and innovations from this interview: IEEE President K. J. Ray Liu, “Follow Multiple Paths,” Changing the World With Microwave Time Reversal Focusing

The National Academy of Engineering is a nonprofit institution that provides engineering leadership through independent advice on engineering and technology. Election to the NAE is one of the highest professional recognitions bestowed on an engineer. Academy membership honors engineers who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature" and to "the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.” Liu joins 134 other new members of the NAE Class of 2024.

Published March 7, 2024