Russell C. Eberhart

Also known as R.C. Eberhart, Russ Eberhart

Russell Eberhart is an American electrical engineer who co-developed particle swarm optimization with social psychologist James Kennedy, an algorithm that grew out of a simulation of a bird flock seeking food. He earned a PhD in electrical engineering at Kansas State University in 1972 and served as president of the IEEE Neural Networks Council in 1992 and 1993. Kennedy and Eberhart published "Particle Swarm Optimization" in 1995, and Eberhart went on to co-author the books Swarm Intelligence in 2001 and Computational Intelligence: Concepts to Implementations in 2007. The pair received an IEEE Pioneer Medal for lifetime achievement in 2012. He chaired the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI, and by 2014 he was Chief Technology Officer at Phoenix Data Corporation in Indiana; he is a professor emeritus of the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology.

Works: 134
Citations: 110,395
h-index: 33
Rankings: #62 by citations
Badges: Pioneer

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 22 October 2026.

Timeline

1972

PhD at Kansas State

In 1972, he earns a PhD in electrical engineering from Kansas State University.
1990–1996

Two PC Tools books

Academic Press publishes Neural Network PC Tools in 1990, with him as co-editor. In 1996, he co-authors Computational Intelligence PC Tools, published by Academic Press Professional.
1992–1993

Neural Networks Council president

He serves as president of the IEEE Neural Networks Council in 1992 and 1993.
1995

Particle swarm optimization

With social psychologist James Kennedy, he publishes "Particle Swarm Optimization" in the Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Neural Networks in 1995. The algorithm grows out of a simulation of a simplified social model of a bird flock seeking food.
2001–2003

Swarm Intelligence book and symposium

In March 2001, he co-authors Swarm Intelligence with Yuhui Shi and James Kennedy, a book arguing that human intelligence derives from the interactions of individuals in a social world. He is Program Chairman of the IEEE Swarm Intelligence Symposium in 2003.
2007

A computational intelligence textbook

He and Yuhui Shi publish Computational Intelligence: Concepts to Implementations in August 2007, a textbook that holds that computational intelligence rests on a foundation of evolutionary computation.
2012

An IEEE Pioneer Medal

He and James Kennedy receive an IEEE Pioneer Medal for lifetime achievement at the 2012 IEEE Symposium on Computational Intelligence for Security and Defense Applications in Ottawa.
By 2017

CTO, consultant and emeritus professor

By 2014, he is Chief Technology Officer at Phoenix Data Corporation in Indiana. He has been a professor of electrical and computer engineering, an adjunct professor of biomedical engineering, and chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI. By 2017, he is a consultant at Proofpoint Inc. and a professor emeritus of the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology.

Career

2002–2004Indiana University Indianapolis
1999–2004Purdue University in Indianapolis
1998–2010Indiana University – Purdue University IndianapolisProfessor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
1972–2005Johns Hopkins University
Phoenix Data CorporationChief Technology Officer
Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at Indiana University–Purdue University IndianapolisChair
Proofpoint, Inc.Consultant