Allen Taflove

Allen Taflove (June 14, 1949 – April 25, 2021) was a full professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of Northwestern's McCormick School of Engineering, since 1988. Since 1972, he pioneered basic theoretical approaches, numerical algorithms, and applications of finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) computational solutions of Maxwell's equations. He coined the descriptors "finite difference time domain" and "FDTD" in the 1980 paper, "Application of the finite-difference time-domain method to sinusoidal steady-state electromagnetic penetration problems." In 1990, he was the first person to be named a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in the FDTD area. Taflove was the recipient of the 2014 IEEE Electromagnetics Award with the following citation: "For contributions to the development and application of finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) solutions of Maxwell's equations across the electromagnetic spectrum." He was a Life Fellow of the IEEE and a Fellow of the Optical Society (OSA). His OSA Fellow citation reads: "For creating the finite-difference time-domain method for the numerical solution of Maxwell's equations, with crucial application to the growth and current state of the field of photonics." In 2011, Taflove was named as an inductee of the Amateur Radio Hall of Fame by CQ Magazine in recognition of his research achievements in computational electrodynamics. He had been an FCC-licensed amateur radio operator since 1963 holding the call sign WA9JLV, and had credited amateur radio with spurring his interest in electrical engineering in general, and electromagnetic fields and waves in particular. He had served for many years as the trustee of the Northwestern University Amateur Radio Society, which operates the FCC-licensed club station W9BGX. Taflove was born in Chicago, Illinois on June 14, 1949. He received B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from Northwestern University in 1971, 1972, and 1975, respectively.