PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

G. David Forney

Also known as George David Forney Jr., Dave Forney

Dave Forney works on error-correcting codes, and his 1973 paper on the Viterbi algorithm reaches into speech recognition. He earned an undergraduate degree from Princeton in 1961 and a doctorate from MIT in 1965, with a thesis on concatenated codes. At Codex, his design produced the first mass-produced 9600 bit/s modem, and Motorola acquired the company in 1977. Honors include election to the National Academy of Engineering in 1983 and the IEEE Medal of Honor in 2016. As of October 2026, he is an adjunct professor in electrical engineering and computer science at MIT.

Works
129
Citations
23,693
h-index
51

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 15 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. 1961–1965

    Degrees from Princeton and MIT

    He earns an undergraduate degree from Princeton in 1961 and a doctorate from MIT in 1965. His thesis introduces the idea of concatenated codes.

  2. 1965–1971

    Modems at Codex

    He joins Codex in 1965. His design produces the first mass-produced 9600 bit/s modem, introduced in 1971.

  3. 1973

    The Viterbi algorithm paper

    He publishes a 1973 paper in the Proceedings of the IEEE that popularizes the Viterbi algorithm, which is also commonly used in speech recognition.

  4. 1977–1999

    Codex under Motorola

    Motorola acquires Codex in 1977, and he continues as vice president until he retires in 1999.

  5. 1983–1998

    Academy memberships

    He is elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1983 and to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1998.

  6. 1992–1997

    Edison, Shannon and Marconi honors

    He receives the IEEE Edison Medal in 1992, the IEEE Shannon Award in 1995, and the Marconi International Fellowship in 1997.

  7. 2016

    The IEEE Medal of Honor

    In 2016 he receives the IEEE Medal of Honor for work on error-correcting codes and reliable high-speed data communications.

  8. As of October 2026

    Adjunct professor at MIT

    He is an adjunct professor in electrical engineering and computer science at MIT, and his appointment in the Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems dates from 1996.

Sources and credits

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  1. Five faculty members elected to NAS | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology news.mit.edu. Checked 15 October 2026.
  2. Dave Forney - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  3. David Forney: The Man Who Launched a Million Modems - IEEE Spectrum spectrum.ieee.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  4. Viterbi algorithm - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  5. G. David Forney – IDSS idss.mit.edu. Checked 15 October 2026.
  6. IEEE Medal of Honor to be presented to G. David Forney '61 - Princeton Engineering engineering.princeton.edu. Checked 15 October 2026.