Dr. Edward J. Powers is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, and is the Texas Atomic Energy Research Foundation Professor Emeritus in Engineering.
He received his B.S. degree from Tufts University, M.S. degree from MIT, and Ph.D. degree from Stanford University, all in electrical engineering. Dr. Powers also worked at Lockheed Missiles and Space Co. He joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering faculty in 1965. Dr. Powers is a representative of The University of Texas at Austin to the Texas Telecommunications Engineering Consortium (TxTEC) Steering Committee. This consortium, which consists of five Texas universities and several telecommunications companies, was formed in recognition of the importance of the telecommunications industry in the state of Texas and the need for highly educated engineering graduates to support this industry.
Previously, Dr. Powers served as director of the Electronics Research Center from 1977 to 1999 and from 1981 to 1989, he served as Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. In 1985, he received The University of Texas at Austin College of Engineering's Joe J. King Professional Engineering Achievement Award, which was established in 1976 to recognize College of Engineering faculty who have shown exemplary leadership in the engineering profession. He currently teaches undergraduate courses in communication systems and probability and random processes, and graduate courses in satellite communications and digital time series analysis. Dr. Powers has been active in the professional activities of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. For example, he served five years as Editor of IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science. He co-organized the International Conference on Higher-Order Statistical Signal Processing and Its Applications in Queensland, Australia in 1992, and is co-editor of the resulting book Higher Order Statistical Signal Processing.
Dr. Powers' current professional interests involve the application of novel digital signal processing techniques to a wide variety of important nonlinear and/or transient problems in science and engineering. Current application areas include elctric power systems and communication systems. Dr. Powers' research work has been supported by a wide variety of state and federal agencies as well as private industry. In recognition of his professional contributions, he was elected in 1983 a fellow of the IEEE. Further recognition was received in 1996 when Dr. Powers received the College of Engineering's Billy and Claude R. Hocott Distinguished Centennial Research Award.
