University of California, Davis | United States
Dr. William A. Gardner is an esteemed scholar and pioneer in statistical signal processing, particularly renowned for his foundational contributions to cyclostationary signal processing theory and methods. His postsecondary education began with a Certificate in Aircraft Radio Repair (1961) at Keesler Air Force Base, followed by coursework in electronics and electrical engineering at Foothill College and Stanford University, where he earned his M.S. in Electrical Engineering (1967). He pursued further graduate studies at MIT and Bell Labs, and earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst (1972). Dr. Gardner joined the University of California, Davis in 1972, where he advanced to Professor VII before becoming Professor Emeritus in 2001. Over his career, he supervised numerous M.S. and Ph.D. theses focused on statistical signal processing, especially the exploitation of cyclostationarity in communications and signals intelligence. In 1986, Dr. Gardner founded Statistical Signal Processing, Inc. (SSPI), a private research firm dedicated to advanced algorithm development for radio reconnaissance, signals intelligence, and cellular communications. The firm, which operated for 25 years, licensed its technologies to major corporations including Apple Inc. and Lockheed Martin. Post-retirement, he continued research collaborations—most notably with Prof. Antonio Napolitano—on advanced statistical cyclicity and nonstationary signal behavior. His recent work has expanded into electromagnetic modeling of cosmic plasma and laboratory-confined plasma, supporting paradigm-challenging efforts such as the Plasma Universe, Thunderbolts Project, and the SAFIRE Project, all aimed at redefining astrophysical theory and clean energy generation. Dr. Gardner is the author of four influential books, including Introduction to Random Processes and Statistical Spectral Analysis, and editor of Cyclostationarity in Communications and Signal Processing. He has contributed chapters to five other books, authored or co-authored over 110 peer-reviewed journal papers, and holds 15 U.S. patents. His academic impact is reflected in a citation count exceeding 7489, an h-index of 33, and continued recognition for shaping the theoretical underpinnings of modern signal processing. He has delivered invited lectures globally and remains a thought leader across academia, industry, and emerging scientific paradigms.
Featured Publications
Gardner, W. A. (2002). Exploitation of spectral redundancy in cyclostationary signals. IEEE Signal Processing Magazine, 8(2), 14–36.
Gardner, W. A. (1990). Introduction to random processes: With applications to signals and systems. McGraw-Hill.
Gardner, W. A., Napolitano, A., & Paura, L. (2006). Cyclostationarity: Half a century of research. Signal Processing, 86(4), 639–697.
Gardner, W. A., & Robinson, E. A. (1989). Statistical spectral analysis—A nonprobabilistic theory. Prentice-Hall.
Gardner, W. A. (1994). Cyclostationarity in communications and signal processing. IEEE Press.
Gardner, W. A. (2002). Signal interception: A unifying theoretical framework for feature detection. IEEE Transactions on Communications, 36(8), 897–906.
Gardner, W. A., Brown, W., & Chen, C. K. (1987). Spectral correlation of modulated signals: Part II—Digital modulation. IEEE Transactions on Communications, 35(6), 595–601.
Gardner, W. A., & Franks, L. E. (1975). Characterization of cyclostationary random signal processes. IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, 21(1), 4–14.
Gardner, W. A., & Spooner, C. M. (1992). Signal interception: Performance advantages of cyclic-feature detectors. IEEE Transactions on Communications, 40(1), 149–159.