Ingrid Daubechies is the James B. Duke Distinguished Professor Emerita of Mathematics at Duke University. A leading figure in the field of Mathematics, she joined Duke in 2011 as James B. Duke Professor of Mathematics and Electrical and Computer Engineering, following distinguished appointments at Princeton University, where she served as William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Mathematics from 2004 to 2010, and earlier as Professor in the Mathematics Department and Program in Applied and Computational Mathematics from 1994 to 2010. Prior to Princeton, she was Technical Staff Member at the Mathematics Research Center of AT&T Bell Laboratories from 1987 to 1994, Professor at Rutgers University from 1991 to 1993, and held research positions at Vrije Universiteit Brussel from 1975 to 1987, including as Research Professor. She earned her Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics from Vrije Universiteit Brussel in 1980 and a Bachelor's degree in Physics from the same institution in 1975. Daubechies also served as the first woman president of the International Mathematical Union from 2011 to 2014.

Daubechies's research specializes in time-frequency analysis, particularly wavelet theory, with broad applications across mathematics, engineering, sciences, and art. Her groundbreaking work on compactly supported orthonormal wavelet bases, introduced in her 1988 paper "Orthonormal bases of compactly supported wavelets," and further developed in publications such as "Biorthogonal bases of compactly supported wavelets" (1992), "Image coding using wavelet transform" (1992), and her seminal book "Ten Lectures on Wavelets" (1992), has transformed signal processing and image analysis. These innovations enable efficient image compression as in JPEG 2000, denoising in MRI and seismogram analysis, fossil shape comparison for evolutionary studies, and machine learning-aided art authentication and restoration, including distinguishing forgeries in Van Gogh paintings. Her contributions extend to neuroscience, cardiology, geology, and evolutionary biology. Among her many accolades are the National Medal of Science (2025), Citation Laureate (2025), Wolf Prize in Mathematics (2023), L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award (2019), National Academy of Sciences Award in Mathematics (2000, first woman recipient), MacArthur Fellowship (1992-1997), two American Mathematical Society Steele Prizes (1994 for Exposition, 2011 for Seminal Research), Benjamin Franklin Medal (2011), and election to the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and Royal Society (2024).

Professional Email: ingrid.daubechies@duke.edu