About Me

I am a mathematician and electrical engineer best known for founding Information Theory. My work in the late 1940s established the theoretical foundations of modern digital communications and computing.

My Life

Born in Petoskey, Michigan on April 30, 1916, I showed an early aptitude for engineering and mathematics. After studying at the University of Michigan, I completed my PhD at MIT where I famously applied Boolean algebra to electrical circuits. My master’s thesis on relay switching circuits is considered one of the most important master’s theses ever written.

During World War, I worked at Bell Labs on fire control systems and cryptography, which led to my seminal work in information theory.

Current Work

I continue to work on various problems at the intersection of mathematics, engineering, and computer science. My interests include artificial intelligence, pattern recognition, game theory, and the fundamental limits of computation.

I also enjoy juggling, unicycling, and playing the clarinet - I even built a juggling machine!

Research Interests

My research focus includes: Information Theory, Cryptography, Digital Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Game Theory, and Switching Circuits.

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“I am a mathematician. I am interested in the fundamental limits on the rate at which information can be transmitted.”