Xuedong Huang

Xuedong Huang (also known as XD, Simplified Chinese: 黄学东, b. October 20, 1962) is the key person behind Microsoft's speech recognition technologies.

Background

Huang grew up in Hunan, China and became a US citizen in 1995.

Career

Education

In 1978, Huang entered Hunan University without finishing high school. He graduated with a B.S. degree in computer science from Hunan University in 1982, and went on to earn a MS in computer science from Tsinghua University. He received his PhD in Electrical Engineering from University of Edinburgh.

Academic research

He joined the Carnegie Mellon University faculty in 1989 and worked with Raj Reddy and Kai-Fu Lee on speech recognition. At CMU, Huang received the 1992 Alan Newell research excellence medal for the Sphinx-II system that had the most accurate performance.

Huang has co-authored two books: [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0748601627 Hidden Markov Models for Speech Recognition,] (1987) and [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0130226165 Spoken Language Processing, Prentic Hall] (2000). He became an IEEE Fellow in 2000. [http://www.ieee.org/web/membership/fellows/Societies/SP.html#H] Huang received the National Education Commission of China's 1987 Science and Technology Progress Award, IEEE 1993 Speech Processing Best Paper Award. [http://www.signalprocessingsociety.org/awards-fellows/awardspage/youngauthor/] SpeechTek has named him a top 10 leader of the speech industry. [http://research.microsoft.com/aboutmsr/pastpresentfuture/awards.aspx]

Apple Computer recruited Lee in 1991 and Microsoft recruited Huang in 1993 to start the competitive speech efforts respectively after two's collaboration at Carnegie Mellon University.

Microsoft

Huang is known as Mr Speech at Microsoft for founding its speech recognition initiatives. Huang is currently general manager of the Communications Innovation Center at Microsoft. He is responsible to bring to market new communications products and services such as Response Point, an advanced phone system for small business. [http://www.microsoft.com/responsepoint]

Huang has spent his career helping to advance speech recognition technologies in a variety of capacities. He was the key leader who brought Microsoft's Speech Application Programming Interface (SAPI) and speech recognition/TTS technologies to the public. From 2000 to 2004, Huang served as general manager of Microsoft's Speech Platforms Group, where he led both the business and engineering teams that shipped Microsoft Speech Server and other voice technologies in Windows, Office, Windows Mobile and Exchange.

Huang helped to recruit Kai-Fu Lee to Microsoft from Apple Computer in 1998 to run its Beijing labs. Lee later came back to the USA and became Huang's boss before Lee switched to Google.

Hunan University and University of Washington

In addition to his responsbilities at Microsoft, Huang is currently [http://baike.baidu.com/view/357587.htm the Honorary Dean] of School of Software Engineering at Hunan University helping to modernize China's software engineering education. He also serves as an affiliate Professor and is a member of the Industrial Advisory Board of EE at University of Washington.

TV and Books

*"Do You Speak American?" By Robert MacNeil, William Cran, Robert McCrum (2005), Harcourt Trade
* [http://www.pbs.org/speak/about/guide/ PBS TV: "Do You Speak American?" 2005]
*"Spoken Language Processing: a guide to theory, algorithm, and system development" by Xuedong Huang, Alex Acero, Hsiao-Wuen Hon (2001) Prentice Hall
*"Hidden Markov Models for Speech Recognition" by Xuedong D Huang, Yasuo Ariki, Mervyn A Jack (1990) Edinburgh University Press

External links

* [http://blogs.zdnet.com/carroll/?p=1878 Thoughts on Microsoft's Response Point, ZDNet] , 2008
* [http://hdvoice.tmcnet.com/topics/unified-communications/articles/40115-microsofts-xeudong-huang-delivers-keynote-itexpo-west-emphasizes.htm Microsoft's Xuedong Huang Delivers Keynote at ITEXPO West, Emphasizes Telephony Ease-of-Use and Describes Future Natural User Interface] , 2008
* [http://www.informationweek.com/news/mobility/voip/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=206905415 Microsoft Bolsters Its VoIP Strategy With Response Point Service Pack] , 2008
* [http://mikeg.typepad.com/perceptions/2007/04/innovation_spot.html Innovation Spotlight: Q&A With Xuedong Huang On Microsoft Response Point] 2007
* [http://www.eweek.com/c/a/VOIP-and-Telephony/Microsoft-Launches-Breakthrough-PBX-for-SMBs/ Microsoft Launches Breakthrough PBX for SMBs] , 2007
* [http://www.hnu.cn/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3493&Itemid=57 Huang appointed as Hunan University's Honorary Dean of Software School] 2005 zh icon
* [http://www.cxotoday.com/cxo/jsp/article.jsp?article_id=768 Microsoft Gets Futuristic With Speech Server 2004] 2004
* [http://www.destinationcrm.com/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=43855 Microsoft Peppers the Market with Integrated Voice Solutions] 2004
* [http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Why-it-s-getting-easier-to-talk-to-your-PC/0,130061791,120269935,00.htm Why it's getting easier to talk to your PC] 2002
* [http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2000/05-22mipad.mspx MiPad: Speech Powered Prototype Listens and Learns] 2000
* [http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/soa/Gates-demos-Microsoft-MiPad/0,139023165,120103045,00.htm Gates demos Microsoft MiPad] 2000
* [http://www.newsweek.com/id/91100/page/3 Microsoft's speech guru Xuedong Huang says that a "conversational interface" will make computing dramatically easier early next century] . "Newsweek" 1998
* [http://www.businessweek.com/1998/08/b3566018.htm BEYOND TALKING BARNEY] "BusinessWeek" 1998
* [http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19970601&slug=2542162 Talking Face To Interface] . "Seattle Times", June 1 1997