Shannon D. Blunt
Alma materUniversity of Missouri
Scientific career
FieldsRadar Signal Processing, Radar Systems Engineering
InstitutionsUniversity of Kansas
Websitehttps://eecs.ku.edu/shannon-blunt

Shannon D. Blunt is an American radar engineer and the Roy A. Roberts Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science at the University of Kansas (KU) in Lawrence, KS. He is Director of the KU Radar Systems & Remote Sensing Lab (RSL) and the Kansas Applied Research Lab (KARL).

Education and career

Blunt grew up in New Madrid, Missouri, and was one of five valedictorians in the class of 1994 at New Madrid County Central High School. He then received B.S., M.S., and PhD degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Missouri in 1999, 2000, and 2002. From 2002 to 2005 he worked as a radar engineer in the Radar Division of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in Washington, DC, joining the University of Kansas in 2005. His research interests are in sensor signal processing and system design with a particular emphasis on waveform diversity and spectrum sharing techniques, having made a variety of contributions that have been deployed in operational radar and sonar systems.

Research contributions

With a focus on the intersection between theoretical signal processing and radar systems engineering, Blunt has led the development of numerous radar research contributions, with many of these being experimentally demonstrated using open-air measurements. Some noteworthy examples, many of which are patented/patent-pending, include:

  • Development of the reiterative minimum mean-square error (RMMSE) framework,[1][2] which has led to experimental demonstrations of adaptive pulse compression (APC),[3] deconfliction of radar/radar spectrum sharing,[4][5] fast-time radar clutter cancellation,[6][7] magnetoencephalography (MEG) brain imaging,[8][9] and passive direction finding.
  • Development of the polyphase-coded frequency modulation (PCFM) implementation[10] that converts arbitrary polyphase radar codes, which suffer significant distortion in high-power transmitters due to abrupt phase changes, into continuous phase waveforms that are amenable to operational systems. This code-to-waveform mapping provides a linkage that enables optimization of physically-realizable signals, including subsequent hardware effects.[11]
  • Development of a class of spectrally-shaped random frequency modulated (RFM) radar waveforms that have been experimentally demonstrated for moving target indication (MTI).[12] Because they do not repeat during the radar's coherent processing interval (CPI), their nonrepeating structure realizes a multiplicative increase in dimensionality relative to traditional repeated operation.
  • Development and experimental demonstration of distinct forms of dual-function radar/communications based on spatial,[13][14] frequency,[15][16] and coding[17][18] degrees of freedom.
  • Development of a radar sense-and-notch formulation of cognitive radar using RFM waveforms[19] that was experimentally demonstrated to enable MTI operation while performing determination of in-band interference and subsequent on-the-fly spectrally-notched waveform generation at a 4 kHz update rate. This demonstration was part of the SDRadar program led by the Army Research Laboratory.
  • Development of an RFM form of complementary waveforms and joint mismatched filter receive processing, with each experimentally demonstrated to realize significant range sidelobe cancellation.[20]
  • Proposed the notion of range sidelobe modulation (RSM) of clutter that results from changing radar waveforms during the CPI,[21] followed by experimental demonstration of various methods to compensate for the resulting degradation that occurs in MTI operation.[22][23]
  • Co-editor of the 2010 book Principles of Waveform Diversity & Design[24] and the 2018 book Radar & Communication Spectrum Sharing,[25] both the first book on their respective topics.

Awards and honors

In 2008 Blunt received a Young Investigator Program (YIP) award from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) to investigate radar-embedded communications.[26] In 2012 he received the Fred Nathanson Memorial Radar Award from the Aerospace & Electronic Systems Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for contributions to adaptive radar signal processing and waveform diversity.[27] In 2016 he was named a Fellow of the IEEE for contributions to radar waveform diversity and design.[28] In 2020 he received the IET Premium Award[29] for a 2018 paper[19] published in the IET Radar, Sonar & Navigation journal involving the practical realization of cognitive sense-and-notch radar operation. In 2021 he was short-listed for the IET A.F. Harvey Prize in radar & microwave engineering.[30]

Professional service

Blunt has served the engineering profession in a variety of different capacities. From 2008-2020 he served on the Radar Systems Panel of the IEEE Aerospace & Electronic Systems Society, where he was Chair of the Conferences Committee from 2012-2018 and Panel Chair from 2018-2020. Since 2008 he has been on the Editorial Board for IET Radar, Sonar & Navigation and in 2022 was the Senior Editor for Radar Systems[31] for IEEE Transactions on Aerospace & Electronic Systems. In October 2022, he became the inaugural Editor-in-Chief for the IEEE Transactions on Radar Systems. He served as General Chair of the 2011 IEEE Radar Conferences in Kansas City, MO, and Technical Chair for the 2018, 2022, and 2023 IEEE Radar Conference in Oklahoma City, OK, New York City, NY, and San Antonio, TX.

He chaired the NATO SET-179 research task group (RTG) on Dynamic Waveform Diversity & Design, and participated in the NATO RTGs SET-182 on Radar Spectrum Engineering & Management and SET-227 on Cognitive Radar.

He has also held multiple advisory positions to the U.S. government, including serving as a subject matter expert (SME) on spectrum issues to DARPA, the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research & Engineering (OUSD(R&E)), and the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy (OSTP). From 2019-2021 he served on the U.S. President's Council of Advisors for Science & Technology (PCAST) and well as being an OSTP SME for America's Mid-Band Initiative (AMBIT) to enable nationwide 5G deployment.

References

  1. ↑ S.D. Blunt and K. Gerlach, "Adaptive pulse compression via MMSE estimation," IEEE Transactions on Aerospace & Electronic Systems, vol. 42, no. 2, pp. 572-584, April 2006.
  2. ↑ S.D. Blunt and K. Gerlach, "Robust predictive deconvolution system and method," US Patent #6,940,450, issued September 6, 2005.
  3. ↑ D. Henke, P. McCormick, S.D. Blunt, and T. Higgins, "Practical aspects of optimal mismatch filtering and adaptive pulse compression for FM waveforms," IEEE International Radar Conference, Washington, DC, May 2015.
  4. ↑ S.D. Blunt and K. Gerlach, "Multistatic adaptive pulse compression method and system," US Patent #7,474,257, issued January 6, 2009.
  5. ↑ P.M. McCormick and S.D. Blunt, "Shared-spectrum multistatic radar: experimental demonstration using FM waveforms," IEEE Radar Conference, Oklahoma City, OK, Apr. 2018.
  6. ↑ C.C. Jones, L.A. Harnett, C.A. Mohr, S.D. Blunt, and C.T. Allen, “Structure-based adaptive radar processing for joint clutter cancellation and moving target estimation,” IEEE International Radar Conference, Washington, DC, Apr. 2020.
  7. ↑ C.C. Jones, L. Harnett, C.A. Mohr, and S.D. Blunt, “Structure-based adaptive radar processing for joint interference cancellation and signal estimation,” U.S. Patent Application #63/154,574, filed on Feb. 26, 2021.
  8. ↑ M. Popescu, S.D. Blunt, and T. Chan, "Magnetoencephalography source localization using the source affine image reconstruction (SAFFIRE) algorithm," IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, vol. 57, no. 7, pp. 1652-1662, July 2010.
  9. ↑ S.D. Blunt, M. Popescu, and T. Chan, "Source affine reconstruction for medical imaging," US Patent #8,433,388, issued April 30, 2013.
  10. ↑ S.D. Blunt, M. Cook, J. Jakabosky, J. de Graaf, and E. Perrins, "Polyphase-coded FM (PCFM) radar waveforms, part I: implementation," IEEE Transactions on Aerospace & Electronic Systems, vol. 50, no. 3, pp. 2218-2229, July 2014.
  11. ↑ S.D. Blunt, J. Jakabosky, M. Cook, J. Stiles, S. Seguin, and E.L. Mokole, "Polyphase-coded FM (PCFM) radar waveforms, part II: optimization," IEEE Transactions on Aerospace & Electronic Systems, vol. 50, no. 3, pp. 2230-2241, July 2014.
  12. ↑ S.D. Blunt, J.K. Jakabosky, C.A. Mohr, P.M. McCormick, J.W. Owen, B. Ravenscroft, C. Sahin, G.D. Zook, C.C. Jones, J.G. Metcalf, and T. Higgins, "Principles & applications of random FM radar waveform design," IEEE Aerospace & Electronic Systems Magazine, vol. 35, no. 10, pp. 20-28, Oct. 2020.
  13. ↑ P.M. McCormick, A. Duly, B. Ravenscroft, S.D. Blunt, and J. Metcalf, "Simultaneous radar and communication emissions from a common aperture, part II: experimentation," IEEE Radar Conference, Seattle, WA, May 2017.
  14. ↑ P.M. McCormick, C. Sahin, S.D. Blunt, and J.G. Metcalf “Physical waveform optimization for multiple-beam multifunction digital arrays,” U.S. Patent Application #62/928,307, filed on Oct. 30, 2019.
  15. ↑ B. Ravenscroft, P.M. McCormick, S. Blunt, E.S. Perrins, C. Sahin, and J.G. Metcalf, “Experimental assessment of tandem-hopped radar and communications (THoRaCs),” SEE International Radar Conference, Toulon, France, Sept. 2019.
  16. ↑ G.B. Ravenscroft, P.M. McCormick, S.D. Blunt, E.S. Perrins, and J.G. Metcalf, "Power-efficient formulation of tandem-hopped radar & communications," U.S. Patent Application #62/737,074, filed on Sept. 26, 2018.
  17. ↑ P.M. McCormick, C. Sahin, J.G. Metcalf, and S.D. Blunt, "FMCW implementation of phase-attached radar/communications," IEEE Radar Conference, Boston, MA, Apr. 2019.
  18. ↑ C. Sahin, J.G. Metcalf, J. Jakabosky, P.M. McCormick, S.D. Blunt, and E.S. Perrins, “A continuous-phase modulation based power-efficient tunable joint radar/communications system,” US Patent Application #62/903,615, filed on Sept. 20, 2019.
  19. 1 2 B. Ravenscroft, J.W. Owen, J. Jakabosky, S.D. Blunt, A.F. Martone, and K.D. Sherbondy, "Experimental demonstration and analysis of cognitive spectrum sensing & notching," IET Radar, Sonar & Navigation, vol. 12, no. 12, pp. 1466-1475, Dec. 2018.
  20. ↑ C.C. Jones, C.A. Mohr, P.M. McCormick, and S.D. Blunt, "Complementary frequency modulated radar waveforms and optimised receive processing," IET Radar, Sonar & Navigation, Apr. 2021.
  21. ↑ S.D. Blunt, M.R. Cook, and J. Stiles, “Embedding information into radar emissions via waveform implementation,” International Waveform Diversity & Design Conference, Niagara Falls, Canada, Aug. 2010.
  22. ↑ J.W. Owen, G.B. Ravenscroft, and S.D. Blunt, "Devoid clutter capture and filling (DeCCaF) to compensate for intra-CPI spectral notch variation," US Patent Application #62/903,618, filed on Sept. 20, 2019.
  23. ↑ C. Jones, B. Ravenscroft, J. Vogel, S.M. Shontz, T. Higgins, K. Wagner, and S. Blunt, “Computationally efficient joint-domain clutter cancellation for waveform-agile radar,” IEEE Radar Conference, Atlanta, GA, May 2021.
  24. ↑ M. Wicks, E. Mokole, S.D. Blunt, V. Amuso, and R. Schneible, eds., Principles of Waveform Diversity and Design, SciTech Publishing, 2010.
  25. ↑ S.D. Blunt and E.S. Perrins, eds., Radar & Communication Spectrum Sharing, SciTech Publishing, 2018.
  26. ↑ "Air Force launches Young Investigators Research Program with $9.5 million investment". www.wpafb.af.mil. Retrieved 2021-06-14.
  27. ↑ "Fred Nathanson Memorial Radar Award | Aerospace & Electronic Systems Society". ieee-aess.org. Retrieved 2021-06-13.
  28. ↑ "AESS IEEE Aerospace & Electronic Systems Society". ieee-aess.org. Retrieved 2021-06-14.
  29. ↑ "IET Premium Awards - 2020". Institution of Engineering and Technology. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
  30. ↑ "A F Harvey Prize - The IET". www.theiet.org. Retrieved 2021-11-05.
  31. ↑ "Technical Areas and Editors for IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems". Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Retrieved 2022-02-17.


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