NJIT Professor Named Oceanic Engineering Society Distinguished Lecturer

Eliza Michalopoulou, mathematics professor and chair of NJIT’s Department of Mathematical Sciences, has been named Distinguished Lecturer by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ Oceanic Engineering Society (OES) — a premier professional organization dedicated to advancing engineering and technology in marine environments. 

The honor is presented each year by the OES to a select group of society members who “are inspiring to both experts and general audiences.” Each distinguished speaker spends a four-year term presenting lectures across the U.S. on topics within their expertise related to ocean science and technology. 

Michalopoulou was awarded the honor specifically for her career achievements and authority in the field of ocean acoustics. Her endorsement was made by the Underwater Acoustics Committee. 

“I am truly honored by this recognition from such a prestigious society,” said Michalopoulou. “With this opportunity, I am greatly looking forward to reaching audiences in the U.S. and beyond to convey a passion for ‘listening’ to the ocean to learn more about its physics and marine life, as well as discussing ways for improving ocean engineering technologies and naval defenses.” 

Since arriving to NJIT in 1994, Michalopoulou has been investigating how physical properties of the ocean, such as seabed and water composition, shape the way sound travels beneath the ocean’s surface. 

Her research in this field, called geoacoustic inversion, has attracted funding from the Office of Naval Research to study aspects of the environment and to enhance submarine detection capabilities in U.S. Naval ship defenses — from improving acoustic analysis used to identify properties of the ocean, to better tracking and protecting sound-producing marine life. Her work has also been funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Army.

Michalopoulou’s research involves studying numerous variables that drive underwater sound propagation — including ocean temperature and sediment properties along with source characteristics — using a combination of acoustic signal processing, acoustical oceanography and mathematical modeling. She has also applied advanced signal processing and machine learning methods to improve sediment characterization of the ocean floor.

Her latest work shows that novel data science approaches can enhance our knowledge of the ocean and are faster and more accurate than methods used to date. She is developing a new, accurate approach that finds the location of sound-producing sources in the ocean in the presence of only a limited amount of data.

“These approaches, which I’ve developed alongside NJIT doctoral and undergraduate students and colleagues from other institutions, enable quick scans of the ocean and its properties and are promising for real-time implementation — an important task in Navy operations,” Michalopoulou said.

Her research has recently appeared in publications such as the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America and the IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering.

According to OES’s announcement, Michalopoulou will present on topics such as inversion problems, approaches for improving sediment characterization and multi-path localization during her term.   

Over her 28-year career, Michalopoulou has earned a number of honors and distinguished appointments. She is a senior member of IEEE and a member of Pi Mu Epsilon, the mathematics honor society. She is a fellow of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) and an associate editor for the Journal of Acoustical Society of America (JASA) and the IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering (JOE). She has also served in the past as the co-chair of the Women in Acoustics Committee of the ASA, and is a member of the Technical Committees in Acoustical Signal Processing, Underwater Acoustics and Acoustical Oceanography of the Acoustical Society of America.