Born: 1954 (Houthalen, Belgium)
Biography:
Baroness Ingrid Daubechies (/doʊbəˈʃiː/ doh-bə-SHEE; French: [dobʃi]; born 17 August 1954) is a Belgian physicist and mathematician. She is best known for her work with wavelets in image compression. Daubechies is recognized for her study of the mathematical methods that enhance image-compression technology. She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is a 1992 MacArthur Fellow. She also served on the Mathematical Sciences jury for the Infosys Prize from 2011 to 2013. The name Daubechies is widely associated with the orthogonal Daubechies wavelet and the biorthogonal CDF wavelet. A wavelet from this family of wavelets is now used in the JPEG 2000 standard. Her research involves the use of automatic methods from both mathematics, technology, and biology to extract information from samples such as bones and teeth. She also developed sophisticated image processing techniques used to help establish the authenticity and age of some of the world’s most famous works of art, including paintings by Vincent van Gogh and Rembrandt. Daubechies is on the board of directors of Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education (EDGE), a program that helps women entering graduate studies in the mathematical sciences. She was the first woman to be president of the International Mathematical Union (2011–2014). She became a member of the Academia Europaea in 2015.
Early Life and Education:
Daubechies was born in Houthalen, Belgium, as the daughter of Simonne Duran (a criminologist) and Marcel Daubechies (a civil mining engineer). She remembers that when she was a little girl and could not sleep, she did not count numbers, as one would expect from a child, but started to multiply numbers by two from memory. Thus, as a child, she already familiarized herself with the properties of exponential growth. Her parents found out that mathematical conceptions, such as cone and tetrahedron, were familiar to her before she reached the age of six. She excelled at the primary school and was moved up a grade after only three months. After completing the Lyceum in Hasselt,[10] she entered the Vrije Universiteit Brussel at age 17.[11]
Daubechies completed her undergraduate studies in physics at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel in 1975. During the next few years, she visited the CNRS Center for Theoretical Physics in Marseille several times, where she collaborated with Alex Grossmann; this work was the basis for her doctorate in quantum mechanics.[11] She obtained her PhD in theoretical physics in 1980 at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel.[12][13]
Career:
After being awarded her doctorate, Daubechies continued her research career at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel until 1987, rising through the ranks to positions roughly equivalent with research assistant-professor in 1981 and research associate-professor in 1985. In 1987, she moved to the United States, starting as a member of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, and then worked at Rutgers University 1987–1991. In 1991, she joined AT&T Bell Labs in Murray Hill, New Jersey, as a researcher, later being promoted to Distinguished Member of Technical Staff. In 1997, she moved to Duke University where she has been the James B. Duke Professor of Mathematics since 2011. She served as the president of the International Mathematical Union from 2011 to 2014.
Daubechies is known for her work on wavelets. She developed a wavelet filter, known as the Daubechies wavelet, which is widely used in image compression and digital signal processing. Her research has been influential in advancing the field of wavelet analysis and its practical applications. She has also made significant contributions to the field of geometric analysis, with her work on wavelet frames and their applications to the study of irregular sampling and approximation theory.
Aside from her contributions to mathematics and physics, Daubechies has also made important contributions to the field of art restoration and authentication. Her expertise in image processing techniques has been used to analyze and authenticate artworks, including paintings by renowned artists such as Vincent van Gogh and Rembrandt.
Daubechies has been recognized with numerous awards and honors for her groundbreaking work. In 1992, she was named a MacArthur Fellow, often referred to as the genius grant, for her exceptional contributions to mathematics. She has also received the Steele Prize for Mathematical Exposition from the American Mathematical Society in 1994, the Gauss Prize of the International Mathematical Union in 2019, and the Princess of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research in 2020.
Throughout her career, Daubechies has been an advocate for diversity and inclusivity in the field of mathematics. She has served on the board of directors of Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education (EDGE), a program that supports women entering graduate studies in mathematics. Her leadership and accomplishments have paved the way for women in mathematics and have inspired countless individuals to pursue careers in STEM fields.
As a distinguished mathematician and physicist, Ingrid Daubechies continues to make significant contributions to the fields of mathematics, image processing, and art restoration. Her groundbreaking work has not only advanced scientific understanding but has also had a profound impact on society, shaping the way we compress and analyze digital images and authenticate precious works of art.
Awards:
– MacArthur Fellowship (1992)
– Steele Prize for Mathematical Exposition (1994)
– Gauss Prize of the International Mathematical Union (2019)
– Princess of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research (2020)