PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Ronald W. Schafer

Also known as R W Schafer, R. Schafer, R. Schäfer, R. W. Schafer, R.W. Schafer, Ron Schafer

Ronald Schafer is a signal-processing researcher whose work on the cepstrum helped shape speech recognition. He earned degrees at the University of Nebraska and MIT before joining Bell Laboratories in 1968, where he worked on speech processing. At Georgia Tech, he helped establish the Center for Signal and Image Processing and co-authored Digital Signal Processing with Alan Oppenheim. He led the IEEE Signal Processing Society, joined HP Labs as an HP Fellow in March 2005, and received an IEEE signal-processing medal in 2010. The National Academy of Engineering elected him in 1994; as of October 2026, he is an adjunct professor of electrical engineering at Stanford and Professor Emeritus at Georgia Tech.

Works
269
Citations
26,831
h-index
51

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 15 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. 1961–1968

    Degrees and the cepstrum

    He earns BS and MS degrees at the University of Nebraska in 1961 and 1962, then a PhD from MIT in 1968. His thesis extends the cepstrum, a compact speech representation that becomes useful in speech recognition.

  2. 1968–1974

    Speech research at Bell Labs

    He joins Bell Laboratories in 1968 and researches digital signal processing and digital speech coding. His work applies homomorphic signal processing to speech formant analysis.

  3. 1974–2004

    A Georgia Tech lab and textbook

    He joins Georgia Tech as a full professor in 1974 and helps establish the Center for Signal and Image Processing. With Alan Oppenheim, he publishes Digital Signal Processing in 1975.

  4. 1978–1979

    Leading the IEEE society

    He serves as president of the IEEE Signal Processing Society in 1978 and 1979, during discussions about international meetings.

  5. 1994

    A National Academy election

    The National Academy of Engineering elects him as a member in 1994.

  6. March 2005

    Joining Hewlett-Packard Labs

    He joins HP Labs as an HP Fellow in March 2005 and works on acoustic signal processing for audio communication and entertainment.

  7. 2010

    A signal processing medal

    The IEEE awards him the 2010 Jack S. Kilby Signal Processing Medal for contributions to digital signal processing.

  8. As of October 2026

    Stanford and Georgia Tech roles

    As of October 2026, he is an adjunct professor of electrical engineering at Stanford and Professor Emeritus at Georgia Tech.

Sources and credits

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  1. Emeritus Faculty | Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty faculty.gatech.edu. Checked 15 October 2026.
  2. Oral-History:Ron Schafer - Engineering and Technology History Wiki ethw.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  3. Ronald W. Schafer - Engineering and Technology History Wiki ethw.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  4. Ronald W. Schafer en.wikipedia.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  5. NAS elects three MIT faculty, six alumni news.mit.edu. Checked 15 October 2026.
  6. Renowned digital signal processing expert named HP Fellow web.archive.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  7. Signal Processing Society Members Receive 2010 IEEE Medals signalprocessingsociety.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  8. Ronald Schafer's Profile | Stanford Profiles profiles.stanford.edu. Checked 15 October 2026.
  9. Emeritus & Distinguished Past Faculty - Center for Signal and Information Processing csip.ece.gatech.edu. Checked 15 October 2026.