PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Guillermo Sapiro

Also known as Guillermo R. Sapiro

Guillermo Sapiro is an electrical engineer who works on image processing, computer vision, and machine learning. He earned his degrees at the Technion, finishing his doctorate in 1993, and spent 15 years at Minnesota before coming to Duke in 2012. With Julien Mairal, Francis Bach, and Jean Ponce, he co-wrote Online Dictionary Learning for Sparse Coding, which ICML honored with its 2019 Test of Time Award. In 2022 he was named a member of the National Academy of Engineering. As of October 2026, he is an Augustine Family Professor at Princeton and a distinguished engineer at Apple.

Works
765
Citations
64,735
h-index
105

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 15 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. 1989–1993

    Electrical engineering at the Technion

    He earns B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering at the Technion in 1989, 1991, and 1993.

  2. 1990s

    Image compression for Mars rovers

    Working at Hewlett-Packard in the 1990s, he joins a team that invents an algorithm enabling Mars rovers to beam high-definition pictures back to Earth.

  3. By 2012

    Fifteen years at Minnesota

    He spends 15 years at the University of Minnesota as a Distinguished McKnight University Professor before coming to Duke in 2012.

  4. 2012

    A James B. Duke professorship

    He comes to Duke in 2012, and by 2022 he holds the title James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

  5. 2018–2022

    Two academy elections

    In 2018 the American Academy of Arts and Sciences names him a Fellow, and in 2022 the National Academy of Engineering names him a member.

  6. 2019

    ICML's Test of Time Award

    ICML gives its 2019 Test of Time Award to Online Dictionary Learning for Sparse Coding, a paper he co-wrote with Julien Mairal, Francis Bach, and Jean Ponce.

  7. October 2024

    Moving to Princeton

    Princeton names him Augustine Family Professor in Engineering and professor of electrical and computer engineering, with a start scheduled for January 2025. His field spans image processing, computer vision, and machine learning.

  8. As of October 2026

    Princeton and Apple roles

    In May 2026 he is the announced speaker at an NIH seminar, billed as Augustine Family Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Princeton University. He is also a distinguished engineer at Apple, where he leads a team on health-related AI tools.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Guillermo Sapiro yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Guillermo Sapiro | Duke Electrical & Computer Engineering ece.duke.edu. Checked 14 October 2026.
  2. From NASA to the FDA, Sapiro delivers high-impact technologies - Princeton Engineering engineering.princeton.edu. Checked 14 October 2026.
  3. Duke ECE Corner Office by Guillermo Sapiro – Academia or not Academia: A Personal Story dukeececorneroffice.wordpress.com. Checked 14 October 2026.
  4. Duke’s Guillermo Sapiro Elected a Member of the National Academy of Engineering pratt.duke.edu. Checked 14 October 2026.
  5. Four Faculty Members Elected to American Academy of Arts & Sciences today.duke.edu. Checked 14 October 2026.
  6. ICML 2019 Awards icml.cc. Checked 14 October 2026.
  7. NIDCD Director’s Seminar Series: Wearables and Machine Learning Changing Health Access and Science | NIDCD nidcd.nih.gov. Checked 14 October 2026.