Research Medal Award Winner

Marc Fossorier
Electrical Engineering

Marc Fossorier is an outstanding researcher in the UH Manoa Department of Electrical Engineering. A UH alumnus, he has grown quickly from an inexperienced but talented graduate student to an international star among researchers in communications and coding. In 1999, after less than four years as a tenure-track faculty member, Fossorier was promoted to associate professor.

Fossorier’s research is in communications and error control coding. He has an impressive publication record with significant journal publications in IEEE Transactions on Information Theory and Communications. He is also a co-author of a book in press. In recognition of his outstanding work, he received the prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Career award for promising young faculty in 1998. In 2001 he received another NSF award to support his recent research involving four graduate students and several international visitors. Fossorier has also received industry funding from companies such as Rockwell and LSI Logic.

His key research contributions are in two areas. He developed the most efficient probabilistic decoding algorithms for block codes. These algorithms have been introduced in recent textbooks on error control coding. More recently, he developed reduced complexity iterative decoding algorithms for turbo codes and low-density parity check codes. Applied to turbo codes and low-density parity check codes, these algorithms have generated interest due to their superior performance. Many recent telecommunications applications now include them.

Fossorier is well received as a teacher. He gives informative, organized lectures and spends significant time and effort outside of class to help students. In addition, he has taken on leadership roles both in the department and in the professional community.