Columbia Engineering School is thrilled to announce that Dr. Homayoon Beigi will be joining the Department of Electrical Engineering and the Department of Mechanical Engineering as a Professor of Professional Practice, effective January 1, 2025. Dr. Beigi brings over three decades of pioneering work in Biometrics, Optimization, Pattern Recognition, Machine Learning, and Internet Commerce.
Dr. Beigi is the President of Recognition Technologies, Inc., where he has spearheaded the development of advanced software engines for Speaker, Speech, Face, and Signature Recognition. His comprehensive expertise has solidified his reputation as a leader in biometrics, particularly in speaker recognition. His seminal textbook, Fundamentals of Speaker Recognition, is widely regarded as the authoritative text in the field, having been downloaded over 100,000 times globally.
Dr. Beigi's contributions to academia extend beyond research and innovation. Since 1995, he has been an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University, teaching a diverse array of graduate courses in computer science, mechanical engineering, and electrical engineering. His course offerings include “Fundamentals of Speech Recognition,” “Mathematics of Machine Learning and Signal Recognition,” “Digital Control Systems,” “Applied Signal Recognition and Classification,” and “Speech and Handwriting Recognition.” Recognized for his dedication to teaching, he was named one of 11 finalists for Columbia University’s Presidential Awards for Outstanding Teaching in 2023.
In addition to his academic and industry achievements, Dr. Beigi has actively shaped the standards in biometrics through his work with international and national bodies such as the ISO/SC37-JTC1-WG3, the VoiceXML Forum, and the ANSI/INCITS M1 committee on Biometric Data Interchange Format. His contributions to the field have earned him three Best Paper Awards, 13 patents, and over 100 peer-reviewed publications.
Dr. Beigi’s connection to Columbia University runs deep. He earned his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees from Columbia’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, completing his Ph.D. in 1990 with a thesis on Learning Control and Neural Network Learning. During his postdoctoral work at Columbia’s Center for Telecommunications Research, he contributed to lossless image compression research before joining IBM’s T.J. Watson Research Center. At IBM, he played a pivotal role in advancing the company’s multimedia search, speech, speaker, and handwriting recognition research.
As Dr. Beigi steps into his new role at Columbia, his joint appointment will bridge the gap between electrical and mechanical engineering, fostering interdisciplinary research and innovation. His broad expertise and commitment to impactful teaching will be an invaluable asset to Columbia Engineering as it continues to advance its mission of excellence in education, research, and service.
