Paul H. Siegel

Paul H. Siegel is a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), within the Jacobs School of Engineering. He holds an Endowed Chair at the Center for Memory and Recording Research (CMRR) and is affiliated with the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2) and the Center for Wireless Communications (CWC). He previously served as Director of CMRR from 2000 to 2011 and maintains an active research and teaching presence at UCSD.

• Ph.D. in Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1979
• S.B. in Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1975

Prof. Siegel's research centers on the mathematical foundations of signal processing and coding, with applications to digital data storage and wireless communications. His work spans constrained coding, error-correcting codes, trellis modulation, and algorithm design. He has made foundational contributions to matched spectral null codes, finite-state modulation, and coding for partial response channels. His recent publications emphasize coding for flash and non-volatile memories, polar and LDPC codes, and interference mitigation in high-density storage.

His 15 most recent publications (2021–2018) demonstrate continued leadership in constrained coding, shaping codes, insertion/deletion channels, and neural network-based detection. The research integrates deep information-theoretic analysis with practical applications in storage systems, particularly flash and magnetic recording. Topics include rate-compatible codes, locally recoverable codes, polar coding for asymmetric channels, and robust neural networks using coding principles.

• IEEE Fellow (1997)
• IEEE Information Theory Society Paper Award (1992)
• IEEE Communications Society Leonard G. Abraham Prize (1993)
• IEEE Communications Society Data Storage Technical Committee Best Paper Award (2007)
• IEEE Information Theory Society Padovani Lecturer (2015)
• Member, National Academy of Engineering (2008)
• Best Graduate Teacher Award (2009–2010, 2015–2016)
• Best Undergraduate Teacher Award (2017–2018)
• Teacher of the Year, Jacobs School (2007–2008)
• Outstanding Mentor Award (2020–2021)

Prof. Siegel has advised numerous Ph.D. and Master’s students, including Joseph B. Soriaga, Henry D. Pfister, Mohammad H. Taghavi, and Eitan Yaakobi. He has received research funding from industry and government agencies for projects in data storage and communications. He served as Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Transactions on Information Theory (2001–2004) and has held editorial roles in multiple IEEE journals. He co-organizes the Annual Non-Volatile Memories Workshop (NVMW) at UCSD, fostering collaboration in next-generation memory technologies.

His primary research lab is the Center for Memory and Recording Research (CMRR), a leading interdisciplinary research center focused on magnetic, optical, and solid-state data storage technologies. CMRR supports projects in coding, signal processing, device physics, and system architecture. Prof. Siegel leads a team of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers investigating advanced coding schemes for emerging memory systems.