Pramod Varshney (center), Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, is a pioneer of data/information fusion.
Professor Pramod Varshney remembers the day he found his calling. 鈥淚t was a Thursday,鈥� says the data fusion pioneer, 鈥渁nd I was attending an [Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers] symposium in Santa Monica, California. A program manager from the Department of Defense was giving a plenary talk about the limitations of radar systems that help aircraft approach and land.鈥�
The year was 1981, and Varshney was a relatively new faculty member at 51爆料网. The problem wasn鈥檛 with the radars, he recalls, but with the lack of system optimization. 鈥淩adars need to be able to talk to one another and a common place鈥攖o what we call a data fusion center,鈥� Varshney continues. 鈥淭his kind of information sharing is critical, especially when a pilot encounters a troublesome situation.鈥�
The February symposium was timely, as more than a hundred people died that month in aviation accidents around the world. 鈥淕ood data-sharing systems might have prevented these tragedies,鈥� says the Distinguished Professor of in the (ECS).
Varshney is revered for his contributions to statistical signal processing, enabling us to see things in data not possible via direct observation. His forte is a field called data/information fusion. 鈥淒ata鈥� refers to raw facts, like those obtained from sensors (e.g., radars). 鈥淚nformation鈥� is the result of processing and refining this data, providing the basis for drawing inferences and taking actions.
He鈥檚 built a career on combining data and information from multiple sources鈥攈umans, sensors and databases鈥攖hat lead to real-time, comprehensive assessments of situations and phenomena.
鈥淲e鈥檝e only scratched the surface of what data/information fusion can do,鈥� says Varshney, who also is affiliated with the University鈥檚 (CASE). 鈥淚t has the power to make meaningful, real-world impact.鈥�
Data/information fusion has the power to make meaningful, real-world impact.
Pramod Varshney, Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Healing Through Data
Varshney鈥檚 work is rooted in math: calculus, differential equations, linear algebra, probability and statistics. He also recognizes the importance of emerging machine learning models and algorithms, necessitated by the vast amount of data generated by currently deployed sensors.
Applications of his research are found in industries as wide-ranging as health care and the life sciences, banking and finance, government and defense, and energy and utilities.
For example, Varshney has collaborated with radiologists from to advance the field of medical imaging using a technique called image fusion.
Medical imaging modalities include computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET) and X-rays. Image fusion merges information from these modalities into a single 3D image of incomparable depth and precision.
鈥淚mage fusion helps with early detection and treatment. It鈥檚 a lifesaver for patients suffering from dreaded diseases like cancer,鈥� he says.
Fusing Theory and Practice
Varshney arrived at Syracuse in 1976, after earning three degrees, including a Ph.D. in electrical engineering, from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in six years.
In those days, data/information fusion was practically left field. 鈥淎ctually, there was no field at all,鈥� he counters. 鈥淚f I may say so, I got the ball rolling.鈥�
Applications of Varshney鈥檚 work are found in health care and the life sciences, banking and finance, government and defense, and energy and utilities. 鈥淲e鈥檝e only scratched the surface of what data/information fusion can do,鈥� he says.
Fast forward almost 50 years, and Varshney鈥檚 name has become synonymous with data/information fusion. In 2022, his work supported a different kind of fusion鈥攏uclear fusion ignition, which was demonstrated by Varshney鈥檚 collaborators at in California. This process, which powers the sun and stars, is paving the way for advancements in the future of clean power, he says.
Varshney is equally proud of his affiliation with CASE, which he led from 2009-23. Working with high-tech clients, he advises them on matters of early-stage innovation and new ventures strategy. His students, in turn, put their education to work, devising algorithms based on data from different sources, like radar, acoustic wave, radio frequency and camera sensors.
He鈥檚 recently teamed up with CASE-affiliated companies to improve airport passenger screening, airspace monitoring and drone tracking. 鈥淐ASE is a living laboratory, where we find technology to commercialize and then bring it to market,鈥� says Varshney, under whose leadership the center鈥檚 economic impact approached $400 million.
Fellow ECS professor Chilukuri Mohan marvels at how Varshney uses his extensive knowledge and experience to foster student and faculty success.
鈥淗e鈥檚 mentored several faculty members and advised nearly 70 Ph.D. students who now hold leadership and faculty positions around the world,鈥� Mohan observes. 鈥淎long with his late wife, Anju G鈥�86, G鈥�90, Professor Varshney has gone to great lengths to treat advisees like family members and ensure their well-being.鈥�
Being a Force for Good
Varshney remains as curious as ever, a self-avowed lifelong learner. He has the numbers to prove it. Four patents. Seven books. Hundreds of papers, grants and contracts.
ECS Dean J. Cole Smith considers him a consummate scholar. 鈥淗is excellent technical depth and compelling real-world applications across a host of contexts bring outstanding visibility to the college and our department,鈥� he says.
Varshney works with students in the Center for Advanced Systems and Engineering (CASE), which advises high-tech clients in early-stage innovation and new ventures strategy. Under his leadership, CASE鈥檚 economic impact approached $400 million.
Biao Chen, the John E. and Patricia A. Breyer Professor of Electrical Engineering, agrees, noting Varshney鈥檚 contributions to the theory and practice of complex information systems.
鈥淗e鈥檚 also laid the groundwork for distributed detection theory, which has influenced research into wireless sensor networks and sparked applications in emerging fields like the Internet of Things,鈥� Chen says.
In 2022, Varshney was twice-recognized by IEEE with the Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society Pioneer Award and the Shannon-Nyquist Technical Achievement Award. 鈥淚 believe in using technology to improve global conditions,鈥� proclaims Varshney, also an IEEE Fellow and Judith A. Resnik Award winner.
Other honors include a Chancellor鈥檚 Citation for Excellence鈥擫ifetime Achievement Award from Syracuse and an honorary doctorate from Drexel University.
Whether developing signal processing methods to track Alzheimer鈥檚 disease, deep learning techniques to improve the accuracy of breast cancer screenings, or acoustic and seismic ground sensors for security and surveillance, Varshney insists on being a force for good.
When asked what鈥檚 next, he respectfully pauses and smiles. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know, but it鈥檚 going to be fun finding out.鈥�
Professor Varshney鈥檚 technical depth and real-world applications bring outstanding visibility to the college.
J. Cole Smith, Dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science
