John Hansen, Ph.D. Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science
Chair of the Electrical Engineering Department
With a laboratory inside an SUV tricked out with sensors, microphones and cameras, Dr. Hansen is studying distractions and road conditions faced by drivers -- everything from fatigue to on-board navigation systems.
His UTDrive project began with a Department of Defense grant to study rapid route information for military Humvees. More research partners joined the project. Now his mobile lab is collecting data that could be used to design a smart car that corrects driver inattention.
Hansen also has peformed research on robust speech recognition and speaker verification, including analysis of speech in noise and the Lombard effect, accent, dialect and speaker traits for forensics
Hansen is the author or co-author of more than 250 papers on speech processing, including the textbook, Discrete-Time Processing of Speech Signals, along with supervising 40 Ph.D./M.S. thesis candidates in speech processing, human language technology, speech and hearing science, human-machine interaction and in-vehicle systems. A fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for "contributions to robust speech recognition in noise and stress," Hansen has advised the U.S. delegate for NATO in speech systems, and has worked with many industry and government agencies in speech science and language technology.
He received his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
News Coverage
Vehicle Studies Drowsy, Drunk and Distracted Driving
UTD Researcher to Study In-Vehicle 'Smart' Technologies
Updated: November 29, 2011
