ECE Professor William Sethares retires

After nearly four decades of shaping minds and advancing knowledge, Professor William Sethares is retiring from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Sethares has been a cornerstone of the department, known not only for his wide-ranging research in signal processing but also for his creative curiosity, collaborative spirit, and deep commitment to students.

Sethares earned his PhD from Cornell University in 1987 and joined ECE the following year. His research focuses on signal processing with applications in acoustics and audio, image processing for medical applications and for art history, natural language processing, and optimization.

In practice, this has included work on a wide range of projects, such as investigating acoustical signal processing and how to make music sound best to the ear; using machine learning to better understand political speech; using algorithms to date the paper used by artists including Da Vinci and Rembrandt; and using machine learning to improve the efficacy of hearing aids for babies.

ECE Professor Robert Nowak described Sethares’ work, “Bill’s research spanned an impressive range—from fundamental contributions to adaptive filtering algorithms to seminal work at the intersection of music theory, art forensics, and signal processing. He was, in the truest sense, a renaissance man.”

Sethares has published over 100 articles in refereed journals, presented at over 150 conferences, and authored five books spanning acoustics and perception, telecommunications and image processing. He has also spent time abroad as a visiting professor in Australia, the Netherlands, Taiwan, France, and Poland, as well as in locations across the United States. Within the department, he has chaired ECE’s tenure and promotion committee, and served on the graduate and undergraduate advising, awards, and other committees.

Over his career, Sethares has developed or updated five courses and taught 24 different classes, with universally high marks from students. ECE Department Chair Susan Hagness shared, “Bill’s impressive legacy includes 55 graduated MS or PhD students who have gone on to academic positions around the world and industry positions at most, if not all, of the big tech companies. His students in his research group as well as in his classrooms have had the benefit of a deeply curious research mentor and highly engaging and dedicated instructor who has embodied broad interdisciplinary research and learning.”

Deep Dhillon (MSEE’94), Founder and Data Scientist at Xyonix, reflected, “Bill was an exceptional mentor—warm, engaging, and endlessly curious. His inspiring lectures on instrument physics and modeling, along with his invaluable guidance during my thesis on room acoustics, profoundly shaped my academic journey. I often thought of Bill over the years, especially when experiencing a gamelan orchestra firsthand in Bali—something he first sparked my interest in long ago.”

Nowak stated, “Bill was a remarkable teacher and researcher whose intellectual curiosity and unique creativity deeply inspired me—so much so that I ultimately chose to become a professor myself. His teaching style was exceptionally engaging, striking a rare and effective balance between mathematical rigor and engineering intuition. His courses on system identification and optimization remain among my all-time favorites.”

As he steps into retirement, Sethares leaves behind a legacy defined by intellectual breadth, generous mentorship, and a deep commitment for discovery that crossed disciplinary boundaries. His contributions will have a lasting impact, and his influence will continue to echo through the work of his students and colleagues for years to come.

Top photo credit: Todd Brown, UW–Madison School of Medicine and Public Health