P. P. Vaidyanathan

P. P. Vaidyanathan is the Kiyo and Eiko Tomiyasu Professor of Electrical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology, where he has served since 1983. His career spans over four decades with appointments as Assistant Professor (1983-88), Associate Professor (1988-93), Professor (1993-2018), and Tomiyasu Professor (2018-present). He has also held administrative roles as Executive Officer (2002-05).

• B.Sc., University of Calcutta (1974)
• B.Tech. (1977) and M.Tech. (1979) in Radiophysics & Electronics
• Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara (1982)

Dr. Vaidyanathan's research focuses on Digital Signal Processing with emphasis on sparse sampling, network signal processing, number-theoretic signal processing, and applications in communications, radar, genomics, and multirate systems. His work on sparse arrays, coarray theory, and Ramanujan subspace signals has transformed direction-of-arrival estimation and genomic signal analysis.

Key trends in his 2023-2024 publications include:

• Optimization of sparse arrays for mutual coupling reduction
• Advancements in mmWave MIMO channel estimation
• Mathematical foundations of beamspace methods
• Applications of number theory in signal processing

Scientific recognition includes:

• IEEE Jack S. Kilby Signal Processing Medal
• IEEE Gustav Robert Kirchhoff Award
• EURASIP Athanasios Papoulis Award
• Membership in U.S. National Academy of Engineering and Indian National Academy of Engineering

His academic legacy extends through 30+ PhD graduates including Tsuhan Chen (1993), Truong Nguyen (1989), and recent advisees Pranav Kulkarni (2025) and Po-Chih Chen (2024). His textbooks like Multirate Systems and Filter Banks and Signals, Systems, and Signal Processing (2024) remain foundational references in the field.