Victor B. Lawrence
Victor B. Lawrence (born May 10, 1945, in Accra, Ghana) is a Ghanaian-American engineer credited with contributions in digital signal processing in communications. He is a Research Professor and Director of the Center for Intelligent Networked Systems (iNetS) at Stevens Institute of Technology, where he also served as Associate Dean. He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2016.[1] He is a Member of the US National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the IEEE, Fellow of AT&T Bell Labs, and Charter Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.[2]
Victor B. Lawrence | |
|---|---|
![]() Dr. Victor B. Lawrence | |
| Born | May 10, 1945 |
| Nationality | Ghanaian-American |
| Citizenship | Dr. Victor B. Lawrence |
| Education | Achimota Secondary School |
| Alma mater | Imperial College of Science and Technology, University of London |
| Occupation(s) | Engineer and academic |
Career
Lawrence worked for one year as a development engineer in the United Kingdom after graduation and then spent two semesters lecturing at Kumasi University of Science and Technology now Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana. Lawrence thereafter joined Bell Laboratories in 1974 and served as supervisor of AT&T Information Systems Laboratories, Department head of Data Communication Research, Director of Advanced Multimedia Communications, and Vice President of Advanced Communications Technology before his departure in 2005. Beginning in 1996, Lawrence lectured for several years at the U.S. Industrial College of the Armed Force. As a visiting professor, he taught signal processing and data networking courses at the University of Pennsylvania, Rutgers University, Princeton University, and Columbia University. Lawrence also instructed courses in Technology Management and Technology Incubation at Bell Laboratories to new engineers.[3]
In 2005, Lawrence was appointed as the director of the Center for Intelligent Networked Systems, and was named associate dean and Charles Batchler Chair Professor of Engineering at the Stevens Institute of Technology. He has co-coauthored five books: Introduction to Digital Filters, Tutorials on Modem Communications, Intelligent Broadband Multimedia Networks, Design and Engineering of Intelligent Communications Systems, and The Art of Scientific Innovation. Lawrence holds more than twenty U.S. and international patents and has had more than forty-five papers in referenced journals and conference proceedings, covering the topics of digital signal processing and data communications.[4][5]
Education
Victor Lawrence attended Achimota Secondary School, Achimota, Ghana, between the years of 1957 and 1964. He then proceeded to advance his education at Imperial College of Science and Technology at the University of London to obtain his Bachelor of Science degree in 1968, his M.S. degree in 1969, and his Ph.D. degree in 1972, all in electrical engineering.[6][7]
Awards and honors
Lawrence has received numerous awards and honorary degrees, including:
- 1981: Guillemin-Cauer Prize Award, IEEE Circuits & Systems Society
- 1984: J. Harry Karp Best Paper Award at Interface '84
- 1986: University of California at Berkeley, Chancellor's Distinguished Lecture Series
- 1987: Fellow of IEEE
- 1992: Fellow of AT&T Bell Labs
- 1995: Black Engineer for Outstanding Technical Contributions
- 1997: Emmy Award for HDTV Grand Alliance Standard
- 2000: IEEE Millennium Medal
- 2003: Member of National Academy of Engineering
- 2004: IEEE Award in International Communications
- 2007: IEEE Simon Ramo Medal for leadership in world-wide data communications networks
- 2012: Charter Fellow of National Academy of Inventors (NAI)
- 2016: National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductee
References
- "2016 NIHF Inductee - Victor Lawrence". Retrieved 2021-09-12.
- "Victor Lawrence's Biography". The HistoryMakers. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
- Gabriel (2020-01-24). "Victor B. Lawrence,The Ghanaian Who Made The Internet Faster In The US". Ghanaian American Journal. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
- "Victor Lawrence - Stevens Institute of Technology". faculty.stevens.edu. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
- Kwarteng, Francis (2013-10-29). "A Great Ghanaian Scientist -Dr. Victor Lawrence". GhanaWeb. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
- Kesse (2020-01-09). "Victor B. Lawrence, the Ghanaian who made the internet faster in the U.S". Ghanaian Museum. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
- "Celebrating the History Makers – Professor Victor Lawrence from Ghana". RisingAfrica.org. 2016-01-07. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
