In Memoriam: Richard A. Haddad

The NYU Tandon community mourns the passing of alumnus and longtime faculty member Richard A. Haddad, on October 13, 2024.

Dr. Haddad, born on November 26, 1934, in Brooklyn, earned three electrical engineering degrees at our school, then known as the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn: a bachelor’s degree in 1956, a master’s in 1958, and a Ph.D. in 1962. 

Dr. Haddad began teaching here the year before earning his doctoral degree and remained for 35 years, until 1996. During that time, he held various posts, including serving in the mid-1980s as Associate Dean and, later, Director of the School’s Westchester Graduate Center, in Hawthorne. 

Dr. Haddad also lectured on signal processing, a particular area of expertise, at universities in Italy and the People's Republic of China, and outside the classroom, he was a member of the technical staff at Bell Telephone Laboratories in New Jersey and director of the Engineering Division at the Institut National d'Electricite et d'Electronique, in Algeria. 

Dr. Haddad became the Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in 1996, remaining there until his retirement in 2013. A senior member of IEEE and an elected member of numerous other groups, including Eta Kappa Nu, Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Xi, and the New York Academy of Sciences, he is remembered by colleagues and students at both schools as a consummate researcher, educator, mentor, and friend.

Those who knew him personally, remember him as an ever-pleasant fellow, always easy to deal with and making everyone around him comfortable. He was a student-centric person, treating everyone with care and respect, all the time. 

Our deepest condolences go to his children, Richard, Gerard, and Elizabeth; his many grandchildren and great-grandchildren; his large extended family; and all who were lucky enough to study and work with him.