Qilian Liang, a professor in the Electrical Engineering Department at The University of Texas at Arlington, has been named a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
In its letter informing Liang of his honor, IEEE’s Board of Directors cited his “contributions to interval type-2 fuzzy logic systems.”
Fuzzy logic is aimed at efficient computing methods that are tolerant of imprecise inputs, much like a human decision-making process where not all answers are as simple as yes or no, or true or false. Examples include thermostats for home heating and cooling and automatic transmission systems in vehicles.
In addition to fuzzy logic, Liang is an expert in radar and wireless sensor networks, wireless communications, compressive sensing, smart grids and signal processing for communications.
Liang has made great contributions to knowledge and use of fuzzy logic systems. He established the theoretical foundation of Interval Type-2 systems, which use simpler mathematics and allow uncertainties to be quantified, and he widely expanded the use of fuzzy controllers i signal processing and digital communication applications. His work has led to applications in military product development and knowledge processing and threat assessment within sensor networks.
“Being named an IEEE Fellow is a great honor, and Dr. Liang is a truly deserving recipient. His research into fuzzy logic systems has been recognized by his peers worldwide as groundbreaking and this new status bestowed upon Dr. Liang is clear recognition of this,” said Peter E. Crouch, dean of the College of Engineering and an IEEE Fellow.
Fewer than one-tenth of 1 percent of IEEE members worldwide are selected as Fellows in any year. Fellow status is awarded to individuals who have “an extraordinary record of accomplishments in any of the IEEE fields of interest.”