peter-belhumer

Peter N. Belhumeur

Professor of Computer Science

Peter N. Belhumeur is currently a professor in the Department of Computer Science at Columbia University and the director of the Laboratory for the Study of Visual Appearance (VAP LAB).

His research focus lies somewhere in the mix of computer vision and artificial intelligence.

He is one of the creators of the pioneering apps Leafsnap, Birdsnap, and Dogsnap.  These apps were the first to use AI technology for species (or breed) identification.

He is a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) and the National Science Foundation Career Award. He won both the Siemens Best Paper Award at the IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition and the Olympus Prize at the European Conference of Computer Vision. He recently was awarded the Helmholtz Prize for Fundamental Contributions in Computer Vision.

Belhumeur received a ScB in information sciences from Brown University in 1985. He received his PhD in engineering sciences from Harvard University under the direction of David Mumford in 1993. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Cambridge's Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences in 1994. He was made assistant, associate and professor of Electrical Engineering at Yale University in 1994, 1998, and 2001, respectively. He joined Columbia University as a professor of Computer Science in 2002.

Research Areas

  • Computer Vision
  • Biometrics
  • Face Recognition
  • Computational Photography
  • Computer Graphics
  • Biological Species Identification
  • Computer Science

Additional Information

  • Professional Experience
    • Professor of Computer Science, Columbia University, 2002
    • Professor of Electrical Engineering, Yale, 2001
    • Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering, Yale, 1998
    • Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering, Yale, 1994
  • Honors & Awards
    • Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE)
    • Helmholtz Prize for Fundamental Contributions in Computer Vision
    • Edward O. Wilson Biodiversity Technology Pioneer Award
    • National Science Foundation Career Award
    • Siemens Best Paper Award at the IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
    • Olympus Prize at the European Conference of Computer Vision.
  • Education
    • PhD, Engineering Sciences, Harvard University
    • MS, Engineering Sciences, Harvard University
    • BS, Information Sciences, Brown University