Jelena Kovačević

  • Dean Emeritus of the NYU Tandon School of Engineering

  • Paulette Goddard Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Electrical and Computer Engineering

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Dean Jelena Kovačević
Email
jelenak [at] nyu.edu
Office
1 MetroTech Center, 19th floor

Jelena Kovačević’s love of math shaped her career trajectory, and as the first female dean in the history of NYU Tandon, she’s helping shape the next generation of engineers. Among her priorities are increasing the number of women students and faculty members, investing in socially important research areas like cybersecurity and sustainability, and helping the school continue its historic rise in the college rankings. Founder and co-chair of the Northeast Regional Deans (NeRDs) council and a Fellow of both the IEEE and EUSIPCO, she has authored one of the fundamental papers in wavelet theory, as well as multiple seminal textbooks.

Jelena Kovačević became the Dean of the NYU Tandon School of Engineering in August 2018, and stepped down on August 31, 2024. She was the first woman to head the school since its founding in 1854 as the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute.

During her tenure, she garnered numerous accolades, including inclusion on the City & State “Higher Education Power 50,” “Tech Power 50,” and “50 over 50” lists, as well as Crain’s “Notable Women in Tech” rankings. She was the IEEE 2022 Engineering in Medicine & Biology Society Career Achievement Award recipient and was appointed to the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Engineering Deans Council Executive Board, in which capacity she worked with her fellow deans to provide vision and leadership. Additionally, she founded the Northeast Regional Deans (NeRDs) council.

At Tandon, she committed to getting more women interested in technology. While she served as Dean, Tandon's freshman class grew to more than double the national average of women in engineering, while a quarter of its faculty positions grew to be held by women. She prioritized several initiatives to further the development of diverse, inclusive, and equitable environments, including establishing the Office of Inclusive Excellence, advancing the Tandon Faculty First- Look initiative, and serving as co-PI on a National Science Foundation-funded InterScience ADVANCE project. She also established seven interdisciplinary areas of excellence to focus NYU Tandon's research efforts and educational efforts, with Tandon recording its highest single year research expenditures to date at $59M during her last year as Dean. Her efforts helping the school continue its historic rise in the college rankings (over 40 spots in a decade). 

During the pandemic, she maintained hybrid learning, creating in-person environments in Shanghai so students who couldn't fly to the U.S. could continue their studies.

Jelena received the Dipl. Electrical Engineering degree from the EE Department, University of Belgrade, Yugoslavia, in 1986, and the MS and Ph.D. degrees from Columbia University, New York, NY, in 1988 and 1991, respectively. From 1991-2002, she was with Bell Labs, Murray Hill, NJ. She was a co-founder and Technical VP of xWaveforms, based in New York City, NY. She was also an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University. In 2003, she joined Carnegie Mellon University, where she was the Hamerschlag University Professor, Head of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Professor of Biomedical Engineering.

She is a Fellow of the IEEE and EUSIPCO and a coauthor (with Martin Vetterli) of the book Wavelets and Subband Coding (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1995) as well as a coauthor (with Martin Vetterli and Vivek K Goyal) of Foundations of Signal Processing (Cambridge University Press, 2014) and Fourier and Wavelet Signal Processing (Cambridge University Press, 2015). She coauthored a top-10 cited paper in the Journal of Applied and Computational Harmonic Analysis, a top-100 downloaded paper on IEEE Xplore and the paper for which Aleksandra Mojsilović received the Young Author Best Paper Award. Her paper on multidimensional filter banks and wavelets (with Martin Vetterli) was selected as one of the Fundamental Papers in Wavelet Theory. She received the Belgrade October Prize in 1986, the E.I. Jury Award at Columbia University in 1991, the 2010 CIT Philip L. Dowd Fellowship Award from the College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, and an IEEE Signal Processing Society Technical Achievement Award.

Dean in graduation gown at podium

A Powerful Track Record
Dean Jelena Kovačević has fueled NYU Tandon’s upward trajectory, powering the school’s contributions to vital fields and empowering a new generation of engineers and technologists.

She served as the Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Trans. on Image Processing from 2002-2006, Associate Editor of the IEEE Trans. on Signal Processing, Guest Co-Editor (with Ingrid Daubechies) of the Special Issue on Wavelets of the Proceedings of the IEEE, Guest Co-Editor (with Martin Vetterli) of the Special Issue on Transform Coding of the IEEE Signal Processing Magazine and a Guest Co-Editor (with Robert F. Murphy) of the Special Issue on Molecular and Cellular Bioimaging of the IEEE Signal Processing Magazine. She was on the Editorial Boards of the Springer-Birkhauser Applied and Numerical Harmonic Analysis, Foundations and Trends in Signal Processing, SIAM book series on Computational Science and Engineering, Journal of Applied and Computational Harmonic Analysis, Journal of Fourier Analysis and Applications and the IEEE Signal Processing Magazine.

She was a regular member of the NIH EBIT Study Section from 2008-2012. From 2000-2002, she served as a Member-at-Large of the IEEE Signal Processing Society Board of Governors. She is the past Chair of the Bio Imaging and Signal Processing Technical Committee and on the ISBI Steering Committee. She was the General Chair of ISBI 2006 and 2015, General Co-Chair (with Vivek Goyal) of the DIMACS Workshop on Source Coding and Harmonic Analysis 2002 and General Co-Chair (with Jan Allebach) of the Ninth IMDSP Workshop 1996.

She was a plenary/keynote/tutorial/invited speaker at the Graph Signal Processing Workshop 2016, CompImage 2014, IEEE GlobalSIP 2013, IEEE Signal Processing in Medicine and Biology Symposium 2012, Automated Imaging & High-Throughput Phenotyping 2012, Mathematics and Image Analysis 2012, IS&T/SPIE Electronic Imaging Symposium 2011, From Banach Spaces to Frame Theory and Applications 2010, 20 Years of Wavelets 2009, European Women in Mathematics 2009, MIAAB Workshop 2007, Statistical Signal Processing Workshop 2007, Wavelet Workshop 2006, NORSIG 2006, ICIAR 2005, Fields Workshop 2005, DCC 1998 as well as SPIE 1998.

Listen to Jelena on the podcast Positively Gotham Gal discuss the future of education and the ways in which she is changing Tandon to make STEM fields more attractive, approachable, and inclusive.

Research Interests
Biomedical imaging as well as multiresolution techniques such as wavelets and frames

Ph.D., 1991 
Electrical Engineering 
Columbia University

M.S., 1988 
Electrical Engineering 
Columbia University

Dipl. EE, 1986 
Electrical Engineering 
University of Belgrade

Books

Book Chapters

  • J. Kovačević and G. K. Rohde. Microscopic Image Analysis for Life Science Applications, chapter Overview of Image Analysis Tools and Tasks for Microscopy, pages 56-67. Artech House, Norwood, MA, 2008.
  • J. Kovačević. Fundamental Papers in Wavelet Theory, chapter Introduction to Precursors in Signal Processing, pages 23-27. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 2006.
  • J. Kovačević and M. Vetterli. Fundamental Papers in Wavelet Theory, chapter Nonseparable Multidimensional Perfect Reconstruction Filter Banks and Wavelet Bases for Rn, pages 694-716. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 2006.
  • P. G. Casazza, M. C. Fickus, J. Kovačević, M. Leon and J. C. Tremain. Harmonic Analysis and Applications, chapter A Physical Interpretation of Finite Tight Frames, pages 51-76. Birkhaüser, Boston, MA, 2006.
  • J. Kovačević. Mathematics for Circuits and Filters, chapter z-Transform, pages 113-130. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 1999.
  • J. Kovačević and R. Bernardini. Spline Functions and Theory of Wavelets, volume 18, chapter Local Bases: Theory and Applications. AMS CRM Proc. and Lecture Notes, 1999.
  • R. Bernardini and J. Kovačević. Multidimensional Filter Banks and Wavelets, chapter Local Orthogonal Bases II: Window Design. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Norwell, MA, 1997.
  • R. Bernardini and J. Kovačević. Multidimensional Filter Banks and Wavelets, chapter Local Orthogonal Bases I: Construction. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Norwell, MA, 1997.
  • J. Kovačević. The Circuits and Filters Handbook, chapter z-Transform, pages 119-136. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 1995.
  • C. Herley, J. Kovačević and M. Vetterli. Linear Algebra for Signal Processing, volume 69, chapter Wavelets, filter banks, and arbitrary tilings of the time-frequency plane, pages 83-124. Springer-Verlag, New York, NY, 1995.
  • J. Kovačević. Solutions Manual, 1990. To accompany Mischa Schwartz's Information, Transmission, Modulation and Noise.
  • M. Vetterli, J. Kovačević and D. J. LeGall. Signal Processing of HDTV, chapter Perfect reconstruction filter banks for HDTV representation and coding, pages 141-148. Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1990.

 

References

Submitted

2016-

2011-2015

2006-2010

2001-2005

1996-2000

1990-1995

guest editorials

  • A. M. Barrutia, J. Kovačević, M. Kozubek, E. Meijering, and B. Parvin. Quantitative bioimaging: Signal processing in light microscopy. IEEE Signal Process. Mag., 32(1):18-19, Jan. 2015.
  • J. Kovačević and R. F. Murphy. Molecular and cellular bioimaging. IEEE Signal Process. Mag., 22(3):19, May 2006.
  • J. Kovačević and M. Vetterli. Transform coding: Past, present and future. IEEE Signal Process. Mag., 18(5):6, Sept. 2001.
  • J. Kovačević and I. Daubechies. Scanning the special issue on wavelets. Proc. IEEE, 84(4):514-522, Apr. 1996.

2016-

  • J. Kovačević. From biomedical imaging to urban data mining: Theory of signal representations. In Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Acoust., Speech, Signal Process., New Orleans, LA, Mar. 2017.
  • Y. Yang, S. Chen, M. Maddah-Ali, P. Grover, S. Kar, and J. Kovačević. Fast path localization on graphs via multiscale Viterbi decoding. In Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Acoust., Speech, Signal Process., New Orleans, LA, Mar. 2017.
  • S. Chen, D. Tian, C. Feng, A. Vetro, and J. Kovačević. Contour-enhanced resampling of 3D point clouds via graphs. In Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Acoust., Speech, Signal Process., New Orleans, LA, Mar. 2017.
  • S. Chen, Y. Yang, A. Singh, and J. Kovačević. Signal detection on graphs: Bernoulli noise model. In Proc. IEEE Glob. Conf. Signal Information Process., Washington, DC, Dec. 2016.
  • S. Chen, Y. Yang, C. Faloutsos, and J. Kovačević. Monitoring Manhattan's traffic at 5 intersections? In Proc. IEEE Glob. Conf. Signal Information Process., Washington, DC, Dec. 2016.
  • S. Chen, R. Varma, A. Singh and J. Kovačević. A statistical perspective of sampling scores for linear regression, In Proc. IEEE Int. Symp. Inf. Theory, Barcelona, July 2016.
  • S. Chen, R. Varma, A. Singh, and J. Kovačević. Representations of piecewise smooth signals on graphs. In Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Acoust., Speech, Signal Process., Shanghai, Mar. 2016.

2011-2015

2006-2010

2001-2005

1996-2000

  • J. A. Kelner, V. K. Goyal, and J. Kovačević. Multiple description lattice vector quantization: Variations and extensions. In Proc. Data Compr. Conf., pages 480-489, Snowbird, UT, Mar. 2000.
  • L. Balmelli, J. Kovačević, and M. Vetterli. Solving the coplanarity problem of regular embedded triangulations. In Proc. Workshop Vision, Modeling, Visualization, pages 2349-2352, Erlangen, Nov. 1999.
  • L. Balmelli, J. Kovačević, and M. Vetterli. Quadtrees for embedded surface visualization: Constraints and efficient data structures. In Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Image Process., pages 2349-2352, Kobe, Oct. 1999.
  • A. Mojsilović, J. Kovačević, J. Hu, R. J. Safranek, and K. Ganapathy. Matching and retrieval based on the vocabulary and grammar of color patterns. In Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Multim. Comput. Syst., Florence, June 1999.
  • V. K. Goyal, J. Kovačević, and M. Vetterli. Quantized frame expansions as source-channel codes for erasure channels. In Proc. Data Compr. Conf., pages 388-397, Snowbird, UT, Mar. 1999.
  • A. Mojsilović, J. Kovačević, and D. Kall. Extraction of perceptually based texture features using wavelet decomposition. In Proc. SPIE Conf. Vis. Commun. Image Process., San Diego, CA, Feb. 1999.
  • A. Mojsilović, J. Kovačević, J. Hu, R. J. Safranek, and K. Ganapathy.. Retrieval of color patterns based on perceptual dimensions of texture and human similiarity rules. In Proc. SPIE Conf. Human Vis. Electr. Imag., San Jose, CA, Jan. 1999.
  • V. K. Goyal, J. Kovačević, R. Arean, and M. Vetterli. Multiple description transform coding of images. In Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Image Process., pages 2349-2352, Chicago, IL, Oct. 1998.
  • J. Kovačević, and V. K. Goyal. Multiple descriptions: Source-channel coding methods for communications. In Proc. Int. Workshop on Multimedia Comm., Ischia, Sept. 1998.
  • V. K. Goyal, J. Kovačević, and M. Vetterli. Quantized frame expansions as source-channel codes for erasure channels. In Proc. Wav. App. Workshop, pages 2349-2352, Ticino, Sept. 1998.
  • Y. Cheneval, L. Balmelli, P. Prandoni, J. Kovačević, and M. Vetterli. Interactive DSP education using Java. In Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Acoust., Speech, Signal Process., volume III, pages 1905-1908, Seattle, WA, May 1998.
  • V. K. Goyal and J. Kovačević. Optimal multiple description transform coding of Gaussian vectors. In Proc. Data Compr. Conf., pages 388-397, Snowbird, UT, Mar. 1998.
  • F. M. L. Ng and J. Kovačević. Nonredundant image representations. In Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Image Process., volume II, pages 434-437, Santa Barbara, CA, Oct. 1997.
  • A. Mojsilović, J. Kovačević, and M. Popović. Transform based method for the design of hexagonal activation functions for the wavelet neural networks. In Proc. NEUREL, Belgrade, Sept. 1997.
  • R. Bernardini and J. Kovačević. Filter design on the group of modulations and rotations. In Proc. Eur. Conf. Circuit Theory Design, Budapest, Sept. 1997.
  • R. Bernardini and J. Kovačević. Designing local orthogonal bases for evaluating image quality. In Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Image Process., volume I, pages 577-580, Lausanne, Sept. 1996.
  • R. Bernardini and J. Kovačević. Local bases yielding arbitrary tilings of the time-frequency plane. In Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Acoust., Speech, Signal Process., pages 2349-2352, Atlanta, GA, May 1996.
  • R. Bernardini and J. Kovačević. Arbitrary tilings of the time-frequency plane using local bases. In Proc. Data Compr. Conf., pages 369-378, Snowbird, UT, Apr. 1996.
  • J. Kovačević and R. Bernardini. Local bases and applications. In Proc. Conf. Inf. Sci. Sys., Princeton, NJ, Mar. 1996.

1991-1995

  • R. Varma, S. Chen, and J. Kovačević. Representations for localized signals on graphs. In Proc. Asilomar Conf. Signal, Syst. Comput., Pacific Grove, CA, Nov. 2016. Submitted.
  • R. Bernardini and J. Kovačević. Local orthogonal bases. In Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Image Process., volume III, pages 580-583, Washington, DC, Oct. 1995.
  • J. Kovačević. Recent advances in image communications: Multiresolution techniques and wavelets. In Proc. IEEE Int. Symp. Inf. Theory, pages 377-378, Washington, DC, May 1995.
  • J. Kovačević. Local cosine bases in two dimensions. In Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Acoust., Speech, Signal Process., volume IV, pages 2125-2128, Detroit, MI, May 1995.
  • J. Kovačević. Eliminating correlated errors in subband/wavelet coding systems with quantization. In Proc. Asilomar Conf. Signal, Syst. Comput., volume I, pages 881-885, Pacific Grove, CA, Nov. 1993.
  • J. Kovačević and M. Vetterli. Time-varying modulated lapped transforms. In Proc. Asilomar Conf. Signal, Syst. Comput., volume I, pages 481-485,, Pacific Grove, CA, Nov. 1993.
  • C. Herley and J. Kovačević. Spatially varying two-dimensional filter banks. In Proc. Asilomar Conf. Signal, Syst. Comput., volume I, pages 60-64, Pacific Grove, CA, Nov. 1993.
  • J. Kovačević and M. Vetterli. New results on multidimensional filter banks and wavelets. In Proc. IEEE Int. Symp. Circuits Syst., volume I, pages 108-111, , Chicago, IL, May 19931.
  • C. Herley, J. Kovačević, K. Ramchandran, and M. Vetterli. Time-varying orthonormal tilings of the time-frequency plane. In Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Acoust., Speech, Signal Process., volume III, pages 205-208, Minneapolis, MN, Apr. 1993.
  • C. Herley, J. Kovačević, K. Ramchandran, and M. Vetterli. Arbitrary orthogonal tilings of the time-frequency plane. In Proc. IEEE Int. Symp. Time-Freq. Time-Scale Anal., pages 11-14, Victoria, British Columbia, Oct. 1992.
  • J. Kovačević and M. Vetterli. From discrete to continuous time: Construction of wavelet bases based on filter banks. In Proc. Int. Symp. Fundamentals of Discrete-Time Syst. (A Tribute to Professor Eliahu I. Jury), pages 317-324, Chicago, IL, June 1992.
  • J. Kovačević and M. Vetterli. Design of multidimensional nonseparable regular filter banks and wavelets. In Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Acoust., Speech, Signal Process., volume IV, pages 389-392, San Francisco, CA, Mar. 1992.
  • J. Kovačević and M. Vetterli. Perfect reconstruction filter banks with rational sampling rate changes. In Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Acoust., Speech, Signal Process., volume III, pages 1785-1788, Toronto, May 1991.

1988-1990

  • J. Kovačević, M. Vetterli, and G. Karlsson. Design of multidimensional filter banks for nonseparable sampling. In Proc. IEEE Int. Symp. Circuits Syst., volume III, pages 2004-2008, New Orleans, LA, May 1990.
  • J. Kovačević and M. Vetterli. Perfect reconstruction filter banks with rational sampling rates in one and two-dimensions. In Proc. SPIE Conf. Vis. Commun. Image Process., pages 1258-1268, Philadelphia, PA, Nov. 1989.
  • M. Vetterli, J. Kovačević, and D. J. LeGall. Perfect reconstruction filter banks for HDTV representation and coding. In Proc. IEEE Int. Workshop HDTV, Torino, Sept. 1989.
  • J. Kovačević, D. J. LeGall, and M. Vetterli. Image coding with windowed modulated filter banks. In Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Acoust., Speech, Signal Process., volume III, pages 1949-1952, Glasgow, May 1989.
  • G. Karlsson, M. Vetterli, and J. Kovačević. Nonseparable two-dimensional perfect reconstruction filter banks. In Proc. SPIE Conf. Vis. Commun. Image Process., pages 187-199, Cambridge, MA, Nov. 1988.
  1. I. Tošić, A. Kuruvilla, K. Berkner, and J. Kovačević. Object Segmentation from Light Field Data. US Provisional Patent, Mar. 7, 2016. Filed.
  2. A. Hoberman, J. Kovačević, N. Shaikh, and A. Kuruvilla. Method and apparatus for aiding in the diagnosis of otitis media by classifying tympanic membrane images. US Patent, Aug. 3, 2013. Filed.
  3. V. K. Goyal, J. Kovačević, and F. Masson. Methods and apparatus for wireless transmission using multiple description coding. US Patent, Jan. 3, 2006. #6,983,243.
  4. J. Kovačević and W. Sweldens. Interpolating filter banks in arbitrary dimensions III. US Patent, Mar. 8, 2005. #6,865,587.
  5. K. Ganapathy, J. Hu, J. Kovačević, A. Mojsilovic, and R. J. Safranek. Retrieval and matching of color patterns based on a predetermined vocabulary and grammar: III. US Patent, May 4, 2004. #6,732,119.
  6. V. K. Goyal, J. Kelner and J. Kovačević. Methods and apparatus for lattice-structured multiple description vector quantization coding. US Patent, Jul. 15, 2003. #6,594,627.
  7. L. Balmelli, J. Kovačević and M. Vetterli. Efficient processing of quadtree data. US Patent, Feb. 25, 2003. #6,526,176.
  8. K. Ganapathy, J. Hu, J. Kovačević, A. Mojsilovic and R. J. Safranek. Retrieval and matching of color patterns based on a predetermined vocabulary and grammar: II. US Patent, Nov. 26, 2002. #6,487,554.
  9. K. Ganapathy, J. Hu, J. Kovačević, A. Mojsilovic, and R. J. Safranek. Retrieval and matching of color patterns based on a predetermined vocabulary and grammar. US Patent, Jun. 25, 2002. #6,411,953.
  10. V. K. Goyal and J. Kovačević. Method description for transform coding using optimal transforms of arbitrary dimensions. US Patent, Feb. 5, 2002. #6,345,125.
  11. V. K. Goyal, J. Kovačević, and M. Vetterli. Multiple description transform coding of images using optimal transforms of arbitrary dimensions. US Patent, Dec. 11, 2001. #6,330,370.
  12. J. Kovačević and F. M. Ng. Signal data transmission over lossy packet networks. US Patent, Oct. 9, 2001. #6,301,222.
  13. R. Arean, V. K. Goyal, and J. Kovačević. Method of multiple description transform coding of audio signals. US Patent, Jun. 26, 2001. #6,253,185.
  14. J. Kovačević and W. Sweldens. Interpolating filter banks in arbitrary dimensions II. US Patent, Jun. 19, 2001. #6,249,797.
  15. J. Kovačević and F. M. Ng. Signal data processing using equal importance packetization. US Patent, Apr. 10, 2001. #6,215,787.
  16. J. Kovačević and W. Sweldens. Interpolating filter banks in arbitrary dimensions. US Patent, Jan. 25, 2000. #6,018,753.
  17. R. Bernardini and J. Kovačević. Method for implementing non-uniform filters. US Patent, Sep. 7, 1999. #5,950,151.
  18. R. Bernardini and J. Kovačević. Subband coding using local bases in multiple dimensions. US Patent, May 19, 1998. #5,754,794.
  19. J. Kovačević, R.J. Safranek, and E. M. Yeh. Method and apparatus for converting an interlaced video frame sequence into a progressively scanned sequence. US Patent, Aug. 26, 1997. #5,661,525.
  20. J. Kovačević. Method and apparatus for reducing correlated errors in subband coding systems with quantizers. US Patent, Feb. 6, 1996. #5,490,233.

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