PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Nelson Morgan

Also known as Nelson Harold Morgan, Nelson H. Morgan

Nelson Morgan is a speech researcher whose work combines neural networks with hidden Markov models for automatic speech recognition. He co-invented the RASTA approach to speech signal processing, first described in 1991, and in 1993 he published the hybrid approach with Hervé Bourlard. He directed the International Computer Science Institute from 1999 through 2011, and he and Bourlard received the 2022 IEEE James L. Flanagan Speech and Audio Processing Award. As of October 2026, he is professor in residence emeritus at UC Berkeley.

Works
272
Citations
8,182
h-index
38

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 15 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. 1949–1980

    A Berkeley doctorate

    Born in 1949, he earns a PhD as an NSF Fellow at UC Berkeley in 1980.

  2. 1988

    Founding ICSI's speech group

    At Berkeley he founds ICSI's Realization Group in 1988, which later becomes known as the Speech Group.

  3. 1991

    RASTA speech processing

    He co-invents RASTA, an approach to speech signal processing first described in a 1991 technical report.

  4. 1993

    A hybrid neural network approach

    In 1993 he and Hervé Bourlard publish the hybrid approach to speech recognition, which uses neural networks probabilistically with Hidden Markov Models.

  5. 1999–2011

    Directing ICSI

    He leads the International Computer Science Institute as its director from 1999 until 2011.

  6. 2002–2005

    A DARPA speech coalition

    He leads a multi-site coalition in DARPA's EARS Novel Approaches project, a 2002 to 2005 U.S. government program focused on long-term progress in speech recognition.

  7. 2022

    A Flanagan Speech Award

    He and Hervé Bourlard receive the 2022 IEEE James L. Flanagan Speech and Audio Processing Award for contributions to neural networks for statistical speech recognition.

  8. As of October 2026

    Emeritus at Berkeley

    He is professor in residence emeritus at UC Berkeley.

Sources and credits

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  1. Nelson Morgan - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  2. Nelson Morgan | EECS at UC Berkeley www2.eecs.berkeley.edu. Checked 15 October 2026.
  3. Nelson Morgan - Engineering and Technology History Wiki ethw.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  4. MERL Congratulates Recipients of 2022 IEEE Technical Field Awards in Signal Processing merl.com. Checked 15 October 2026.
  5. Nelson Morgan and Herve Bourlard to Receive 2022 IEEE James L. Flanagan Speech and Audio Processing Award icsi.berkeley.edu. Checked 15 October 2026.