Digital Solutions for Some of Society’s Biggest Challenges

This text is from the printed program for the 2024 Faculty & Staff Convocation, where on September 18, Min Wu will be officially honored as a Distinguished University Professor.

From stopping piracy in Hollywood to protecting classified government documents and forging novel ways to track heart health, Min Wu’s research offers solutions for some of society’s biggest challenges.

“Professor Wu has made extraordinary contributions to the field of multimedia signal processing, security, and forensics, and has had major impact in real-world applications,” says Shih-Fu Chang, dean of Columbia University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science.

The Christine Kim Eminent Professor of Information Technology, Wu has a joint appointment at the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies and serves as the A. James Clark School of Engineering’s associate dean for graduate programs. She joined UMD in 2001 after receiving her Ph.D. from Princeton University and bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering and economics from Tsinghua University in Beijing.

Her pioneering work focuses on digital fingerprinting: embedding a unique ID into multimedia such as maps and videos to enable users to track leaked data and detect tampering. Her research extends into improving video communications over resource-limited wireless networks, as well as “physiological forensics,” tracking heart rate and blood oxygen levels without wearing or touching sensors. Her journal articles and conference papers have been cited more than 15,000 times.

Wu is an award-winning educator who supports graduate and undergraduate students, offering professional development opportunities and group mentoring. As an ADVANCE professor and faculty fellow, she recruits and supports junior and mid-career faculty members, especially those from underrepresented populations and women.

“I have not only been impressed with her leadership in the Clark School, but also within her academic community,” said Clark School Dean Samuel Graham, Jr.

Wu’s leadership roles include serving as president of the Signal Processing Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers—the first woman of color to lead this international professional organization of over 23,000 members. She has also been elected to the American Association for the Advancement of Science and—with 47 patents issued or pending—the National Academy of Inventors.

She is “one of the most accomplished and visible faculty members on the world stage,” says retired Distinguished University Professor K.J. Ray Liu. “She is a quintessential role model for women in engineering.”