Touraj Assefi
MRCI Director
Professor of Electrical Engineering

Microelectronics Research and Communications Institute
P.O. Box 441024
Moscow, ID 83844-1024

Office Phone: (208) 885-6045

E-Mail Address: tassefi@mrc.uidaho.edu

Research Interests

Stochastic modeling, estimation theory, image enhancement, and space and avionics technology.

 

Education

Ph.D. Electrical Engineering, 1973, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California

MS. Electrical Engineering, 1969, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California

MA. Mathematics, 1967, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California

BA. Mathematics, 1965, Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York

 

Experience

8/95-Present, University of Idaho

Director of Microelectronics Research and Communications Institute (MRCI) and Professor of Electrical Engineering

7/89-8/95, Loral (formerly Bolt Beranek and Newman (BBN) Systems and Technologies Inc). Our division was acquired by Loral in 1993

Vice President and General Manager of BBN's Visual Systems Operation (Director and General Manager of Loral's Visual Systems). Management responsibilities encompass development in the areas of Computer Image Generation Technology, Database Creation, Product Development, Hardware, and Software Development as well as pursuit of Marketing opportunities in related areas.

4/88-7/89

Vice President and Assistant Laboratory Director, managing the company's multi-million dollar Internal Research and Development (IR&D), as well as the Life Sciences Department. Our Tri-Services scores improved by approximately 40% during my tenure.

1/85-4/88 Boeing Military Airplane Company

Manager of Avionics Technology and Crew Systems. During this period contract awards more than doubled, increasing our budget from $16M to $38M in one year. The technology achieved competence and depth across the entire spectrum of skills relevant to avionics and crew systems. Also managed the Integrated Technology Development Laboratories (ITDL) which was dedicated to various large programs, such as Advanced Tactical Fighters and the B-1B. Helped establish the ITDL Laboratory which was built at the cost of over $100 million.

2/83-1/85

Managed the Avionics Information Systems (a department within the Avionics Technology). Substantially increased contract awards and consequently enlarged the group from 5 to over 60 personnel.

3/80-2/83 Boeing Computer Service

Manager of Stochastic Modeling and Pattern Recognition Group. I created the Stochastic Modeling and Pattern Recognition Group specializing in Engineering and Mathematical Analysis in terms of signal processing, pattern recognition, data compression, and image enhancement. I was able to triple the size of the budget during this period.

1972-1980 Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Division Representative to the Galileo Spacecraft Design Team. I was responsible for the attitude control on the spacecraft. This assignment also required direct support of Project Management in the following areas: identification of problem areas, evaluation of system and sub-system performance in relation to system objectives and interface requirements, development and analysis of potential solutions (usually by heavy interaction with specialists in the interfacing technical disciplines).

On my previous assignment as Group Lead of Guidance Group, I performed extensive error analysis and estimation algorithms pertaining to the evaluation of pointing performance of various science instruments for various planetary missions. My "High Gain Antenna Inflight Pointing Calibration", utilizing "extended Kalman filtering" was used successfully in the Viking Spacecraft and was published as a paper by AIAA Guidance and Control Journal, October 1980. I was also responsible for the Voyager Spacecraft High Gain Antenna as well as the scan platform pointing calibration.

Other assignments have included analysis and synthesis of control system concepts for various projects and spacecraft as well as research development. Two results were published. One, an invited paper entitled "Automated Vehicle Guidance Using Discrete Markers", IEEE Trans. Vehicular Technology, February, 1979, and the other, "Correlation Tracking for a Planetary Pointing and Tracking System", International Telemetering Conference, Los Angeles, November, 1978.

 

Academic Experience

Professor at the University of Idaho since 1995. Also, fourteen years of part-time teaching experience at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Broad background in Electrical Engineering and Mathematics, including stochastic processes, image processing, and estimation theory. I published a book in this area entitled Stochastic Processes and Estimation Theory with Application, John Wiley, November 1979. This book was used as a graduate text in several universities, including the University of Washington and USC.

1995-Present Professor - Electrical Engineering at the University of Idaho.

1983-1988 Affiliate Associate Professor - Electrical Engineering - University of Washington.

1966-1980 Adjunct Associate Professor - University of Southern California.

Courses Taught:

Graduate Level:
Stochastic Processes, Image Processing, Pattern Recognition, Estimation Theory (Kalman and Wiener Filtering, etc.), Network Synthesis, Probability Theory for Engineers, Advanced Control System via the State Variable Approach, Sample Date Control Linear and Nonlinear Control, Analytical Methods in Engineering.

Undergraduate Level:
Signals and Systems, Linear Algebra, Circuit Analysis, various Calculus courses, Complex Variables, Linear Systems, Feedback Control Systems, and Numerical Analysis.

Awards and Honors:

Received three Group Achievement Awards from NASA for "Mariner Venus and Mercury", "Viking", and "Voyager" Missions. Also received research assistantship and government grants during the entire graduate school.

Selected Publications

  1. "Super Fluid Extraction and High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Diode Array-Electromechanical Detection of Signature Redox Compounds from Sand and Soil Samples" (joint publication), Analytical Biochemistry Journal 301, 225-234, January 8, 2002.

  2. "In Search of Molecules of Life" (joint publication), Icarus 154, 531-539, (2001).

  3. "Bayesian Recursive Image Estimation" (joint publication), IEEE trans. on Computers, CC-21, July 1972.

  4. "Bayesian Recursive Image Restoration via Estimation Theory", Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Southern California, 1973.

  5. "Two-dimensional Signal Image Enhancement", NASA Technical Report, RT-32-1596, September 1, 1974.

  6. "Some Necessary and Sufficient Conditions of Optimality", NASA Technical Memo 33-764, February 25, 1976.

  7. "Voyager High Gain Antenna Pointing Accuracy Analysis", JPL External Publication Report 618-421, October 4, 1976.

  8. "Shuttle Experiment Pointing Mount Systems" (joint publication), AIAA Systems Design Driven by Sensors, Pasadena, California, October 1976.

  9. "Two-dimensional Signal Processing", IEEE International Joint Conference on Pattern Recognition, Coronado, California, November 11, 1977.

  10. "Correlation Tracking for a Planetary Pointing and Tracking System", International Telemetering Conference, Los Angeles, California, November 14, 1978.

  11. Stochastic Processes, Estimation Theory, and Image Enhancement (book), NASA Publications, JPL 78-50, June 1978.

  12. Stochastic Processes and Estimation Theory with Applications (textbook), John Wiley & Sons, Inc., November 1979.

  13. "Automated Vehicle Guidance Using Discrete Markers" (joint publication), Invited Paper, IEEE Trans. Vehicular Technology, VT-28, February 1979.

  14. "Viking Orbiter In-Flight Pointing Calibration of the High Gain Antenna", Journal of Guidance and Control, Vol. 3, September-October 1980.