Abraham Lempel
Abraham Lempel was a computer scientist whose compression algorithms became the basis of common file formats. With Jacob Ziv, he presented a complexity measure for finite sequences in 1976 and invented the first two versions of the Lempel-Ziv algorithm in 1977 and 1978. From 1963 to 2004 he taught at the Technion, and in 1994 he founded HP Labs Israel. He also received the 1997 ACM Paris Kanellakis Theory and Practice Award, the 1998 IEEE Information Theory Society Golden Jubilee Award and the 2007 IEEE Hamming Medal. He died in February 2023 at age 86.
- Works
- 88
- Citations
- 16,090
- h-index
- 32
Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 15 October 2026.
Timeline
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1959–1967
Doctoral studies at the Technion
He begins his studies at the Technion in Haifa in 1959 and gains a BSc, an MSc and a D.Sc. by 1967.
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1963–2004
Teaching at the Technion
He teaches electrical engineering and computer science at the Technion from 1963 to 2004.
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1976–1978
The Lempel-Ziv algorithms
In 1976 he and Jacob Ziv present a complexity measure for finite sequences. In 1977 and 1978 they invent the first two versions of the Lempel-Ziv algorithm, which form the basis of formats such as ZIP, GIF and PNG.
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1993–1994
Founding HP Labs Israel
He is recruited by Hewlett Packard in 1993 and founds HP Labs Israel in 1994, serving as its director until 2007.
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1997
A Kanellakis Theory and Practice Award
The ACM recognizes his work with the 1997 Paris Kanellakis Theory and Practice Award.
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1998
A Golden Jubilee Award
In 1998 the IEEE Information Theory Society honors his work with a Golden Jubilee Award for Technological Innovation.
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2007
The IEEE Hamming Medal
He receives the 2007 IEEE Richard W. Hamming Medal for work in data compression.
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February 2023
Death at age 86
He dies in February 2023 at the age of 86.
Sources and credits
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