Jeffrey H. Reed, Virginia Tech professor of electrical and computer engineering (ECE), is the new recipient of the Willis G. Worcester Professorship of Electrical and Computer Engineering, traditionally awarded to a leading researcher.

Reed has a long and consistent record of research funding and is an internationally known researcher in the areas of software and software defined radios. (A software defined radio is a radio with very little hardware and software, performing many of the functions of the analog components of an old fashioned radio.)

Reed has been a principal investigator (PI) or co-PI on 55 sponsored projects with his personal share of approximately $7 million since coming to Virginia Tech. In addition, he has personally secured more than $1.7 million in affiliate and gift money. He has authored 35 refereed journal articles. His most cited publication, “Overview of Spatial Channel Models for Antenna Array Communications Systems,” in IEEE Personal Communications 1998 has 158 citations, a large number in ECE disciplines. He has 170 conference papers of various types and has contributed to or edited 15 books. He is the sole author of the first book on software radio.

Reed came to Virginia Tech in 1992 as an assistant professor. He was promoted to associate professor in 1997 and professor in 2001. The directorship of the ECE Mobile and Portable Research Group rotates, and he has served as director and is now a deputy director. He constantly represents wireless technology at Virginia Tech to the outside world, making connections and opening doors for his colleagues. He is working on creating a single wireless center in ECE to replace the two centers devoted to similar research.

Reed has supervised 12 Ph.D. students and 31 master's students to the completion of their degrees. He is now supervising 11 Ph.D. students and 14 master's students.

Reed is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers for his contributions to software defined radio and received the Software Defined Radio Forum’s Industry Achievement Award for that work.

Reed’s excellence in teaching is well known. He has developed or significantly revised a total of six courses, three undergraduate and three graduate courses. Almost all of the ECE communications area graduate students take his software radio and digital signal processing courses, and he teaches the ECE undergraduate communications systems and signal processing courses. His courses are well received in terms of both content and delivery.

Hassan Aref, 2003-05 dean of the College of Engineering, nominated Reed to this endowed position, concurring with the recommendations of the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Honorifics Committee and the College of Engineering Honorifics Committee.

Reed received his bachelor's, master's, and Ph.D. from the University of California at Davis.

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