Presented to: Dr. Todd E. Humphreys
Citation: For sustained contributions to the art and science of navigation signal processing; and for increasing the public awareness of the vulnerability of GNSS
Dr. Todd Humphreys has made fundamental contributions to secure, precise, and robust PNT; and to GNSS software-defined receivers (SDRs).
In 2006 Dr. Humphreys developed the first GNSS SDR on a small general-purpose processor capable of continually tracking dozens of signals in real time. This C++-based receiver is now a highly optimized science-grade multicore GNSS SDR, which was the first of its kind to demonstrate centimeter-accurate GNSS positioning with a smartphone antenna.
Dr. Humphreys initiated the study of GNSS security in open literature through his publications on assessing the threat of civilian spoofers. He designed and studied diverse methods to detect and counteract spoofing attacks, and developed standardized test conditions for evaluating GNSS signal authentication concepts. As part of this work, he made the risks of GNSS jamming and spoofing known to a wider audience and increased public awareness of such vulnerabilities with live demonstrations and public addresses, including participating in international advisory boards and testifying before U.S. Congress.
Dr. Humphreys deserves credit for catalyzing the movement of precision carrier-phase-based GNSS into the mass market. His laboratory was the first to demonstrate cm-accurate real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning through a smartphone antenna.
Dr. Humphreys, together with former student Zak Kassas, laid the theoretical foundation for simultaneously mapping the signals-of-opportunity landscape and exploiting the signals and map for PNT. Additionally, he recently developed an interface specification for the Starlink signal structure that will enable the use of these signals for PNT.
Professor Humphreys is an outstanding educator and academic leader. His students have received multiple academic achievement awards, high-ranking industry positions, and professorial appointments at other universities. Prof. Humphreys has won several teaching awards, is a recognized technical expert who has addressed numerous academic and international policy and regulatory bodies, and participated in the governance and leadership of many PNT organizations. Dr. Humphreys holds an Institute of Navigation (ION) Thurlow Award (2014) and is a Fellow of the RIN and the ION.
Dr. Humphreys currently holds the Ashley H. Priddy Centennial Professorship in Engineering in Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at the University of Texas at Austin where he directs the Radionavigation Laboratory and the Wireless Networking and Communications Group. He received his BS and MS from Utah State University, and PhD in Aerospace Engineering from Cornell University.
