Signal Processing - May 2017 - 5

planetary trajectories to calculate their future position using
advanced geometrical calculations.
Many scientists have had to solve problems while also facing and overcoming personal life challenges and social stigmas.
For much of Alan Turing's early life, he had absentee parents
and spent his formative years at boarding schools, where his
natural gift and passion for math was often overlooked. He later
endured homophobia, all the while developing a general-purpose
computer and a code-breaking device that would ultimately save
many lives.
The beautiful mind of John Nash wrestled with mental illness as well as its stigma and its draconian treatments, enduring
insulin shock therapy, yet he later developed the Nash equilibria
and game theory.
Sometimes our founding interests, theories, and inventions
are seeded by personal challenges. My own life and career have
been enriched by research collaborators who have overcome
their own personal adversities, such as Charles Laszlo, a biomedical engineer. Laszlo started his long struggle with hearing
loss at the age of 21 during his military service and then went
on to develop many hearing-assistance devices and technologies that help people with hearing problems. My research collaboration with Laszlo was on analyzing the signals of a crying
baby to understand why the baby is crying, for the benefit of
those parents who are deaf. I have also worked closely with
Gary Birch on brain-computer interface research. At 18, Birch
became a quadriplegic. Yet within five years, he became a
medal-winning Paralympian, while also studying engineering.
He went on to receive a doctorate in electrical engineering and
turned to researching brain-computer interfaces, a fascinating
area of research that taps into the brain's signals to enrich the
lives of people with disabilities. These colleagues have both
received the highest award in Canada, The Order of Canada, in
recognition for their tremendous contributions to society.
These colleagues have not only stimulated my career, they
have become dear friends. Life cannot evolve and advance if
we live and work in isolation. Technological breakthroughs
are the result of diverse collaborations, and it's the goal of
the SPS to facilitate and enhance these collaborations, with
each other and by connecting with the world's current and
future innovators.
You may have noticed that I didn't mention the important,
barrier-breaking contributions of women scientists and engineers that have developed breakthrough technologies. I've had
the good fortune to work with many women engineers and signal processors. To use the cliché, we've come a long way. Yet
society still has a way to go to bridge the gender gap. I will talk
about this fascinating subject in a future column. Meanwhile, I
look forward to hearing any of your ideas about ways in which
we can strengthen diversity and break barriers, both inside and
outside the global signal processing community.

Professor/Associate Professor/Assistant Professorship in
the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

The University
Established in 2012, the Southern University of Science and
Technology (SUSTech) is a public institution funded by the municipal
of Shenzhen, a special economic zone city in China. Shenzhen is a
major city located in Southern China, situated immediately north of
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. As one of China's major
gateways to the world, Shenzhen is the country's fast-growing city
in the past two decades. The city is the high-tech and manufacturing
hub of southern China, home to the world's third-busiest container
port, and the fourth-busiest airport on the Chinese mainland. A
picturesque coastal city, Shenzhen is also a popular tourist destination
and was named one of the world's 31 must-see tourist destinations
in 2010 by The New York Times. The Southern University of Science
and Technology is a pioneer in higher education reform in China.
The mission of the University is to become a globally recognized
institution which emphasizes academic excellence and promotes
innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship. The teaching language
at SUSTech is bilingual, either English or Putonghua. Set on five
hundred acres of wooded landscape in the picturesque Nanshan
(South Mountain) area, the new campus offers an ideal environment
suitable for learning and research.
Call for Application
The Southern University of Science and Technology now invites
applications for the faculty position in the Department of Electrical and
Electronic Engineering. It is seeking to appoint a number of tenured or
tenure track positions in all ranks. Candidates with research interests
in all mainstream fields of electrical and electronic engineering will
be considered, including but not limited to IC Design, Embedded
Systems, Internet of Things, VR/AR, Signal and Information
Processing, Control and Robotics, Big Data, AI, Communication/
Networking, Microelectronics, and Photonics. SUSTech adopts the
tenure track system, which offers the recruited faculty members a
clearly defined career path. Candidates should have demonstrated
excellence in research and a strong commitment to teaching. A
doctoral degree is required at the time of appointment. Candidates
for senior positions must have an established record of research,
and a track-record in securing external funding as PI. As a Statelevel innovative city, Shenzhen has chosen independent innovation
as the dominant strategy for its development. It is home to some of
China's most successful high-tech companies, such as Huawei and
Tencent. As a result, SUSTech considers entrepreneurship is one of
the main directions of the university, and good starting supports will
be provided for possible initiatives. SUSTech encourages candidates
with intention and experience on entrepreneurship to apply.
Terms & Applications
To apply, please send curriculum vitae, description of research
interests and statement on teaching to eehire@sustc.edu.cn.
SUSTech offers competitive salaries, fringe benefits including medical
insurance, retirement and housing subsidy, which are among the best
in China. Salary and rank will commensurate with qualifications and
experience. Candidates should also arrange for at least three letters
of recommendation sending directly to the above email account.
The search will continue until the position is filled. For informal
discussion about the above posts, please contact Professor Xiaowei
SUN, Head of Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering,
by phone 86-755-88018558 or email: sunxw@sustc.edu.cn.

IEEE SIgnal ProcESSIng MagazInE

May 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signal Processing - May 2017