PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Rabab Kreidieh Ward

Also known as R K Ward, R Ward, R. K. Ward, R. Ward, R.K. Ward

Rabab Kreidieh Ward is an electrical engineer whose signal-processing research includes brain-computer interfaces and a 2025 StyleGAN-based 3D face model. She earned degrees in Cairo and Berkeley, taught in Rhodesia, and became the first woman appointed as an engineering professor in British Columbia. Her work produced video-measurement systems licensed to industry, and she directed a UBC research institute and led IEEE's Signal Processing Society. She was elected a Foreign Member of the US National Academy of Engineering in 2020 and received the IEEE Fourier Award in 2023. As of October 2026, she is a professor emerita at UBC and chairs IEEE Canada's Awards & Recognition Committee.

Works
580
Citations
18,293
h-index
63

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 15 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. 1966–1972

    Degrees in Cairo and Berkeley

    She earns a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering at Cairo University in 1966, then earns a master's degree in 1969 and a PhD in 1972 at Berkeley.

  2. 1975–1979

    Teaching in Rhodesia

    At the University of Rhodesia, she serves as a lecturer and then senior lecturer from 1975 to 1979.

  3. 1981

    First engineering professorship in BC

    UBC appoints her as an assistant professor in 1981, making her the first woman to become an engineering professor in British Columbia.

  4. 1995–1997

    Licensed video systems

    Hewlett-Packard licenses her non-intrusive TV video-impairment measurement method in 1995. She co-invents a non-interfering video system to measure fish size and biomass, which is licensed in 1997.

  5. 1996–2007

    Directing UBC's computing institute

    At UBC, she directs the Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems from 1996 to 2007.

  6. 2016–2023

    IEEE Signal Processing Society president

    She leads IEEE's Signal Processing Society as president in 2016–2017, and her research also includes signal processing for brain-computer interfaces. The National Academy of Engineering elects her a Foreign Member in 2020 for signal-processing applications in industry and bioengineering; she receives the IEEE Fourier Award in 2023 for contributions to signal-processing techniques and practical applications.

  7. 2025

    A StyleGAN face model

    In 2025, she coauthors StyleMorpheus, a paper that learns a StyleGAN-based 3D-aware morphable face model with a disentangled style space.

  8. As of October 2026

    Professor emerita at UBC

    As of October 2026, she is a professor emerita in UBC's Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and chairs IEEE Canada's Awards & Recognition Committee. In April 2026, she coauthors an npj Digital Medicine paper on wearable ECG and PPG for anxiety detection.

Sources and credits

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  1. Rabab Ward en.wikipedia.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  2. Engineering prof elected to US National Academy of Engineering engineering.ubc.ca. Checked 15 October 2026.
  3. Rabab Kreidieh Ward Professor Emeritus, Electrical and Computer Engineering ipl.ece.ubc.ca. Checked 15 October 2026.
  4. IEEE Honors Pioneering Technical Achievements spectrum.ieee.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  5. Rabab Ward wins IEEE Fourier Award vancouver.ieee.ca. Checked 15 October 2026.
  6. Refereed Publications ipl.ece.ubc.ca. Checked 15 October 2026.
  7. IEEE Canada Rosters ieeecanada.org. Checked 15 October 2026.