TU/e - Technische Universiteit Eindhoven

09/25/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/25/2025 05:44

TU/e professor Peter de With honored with Royal Distinction at Valedictory Lecture

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TU/e professor Peter de With honored with Royal Distinction at Valedictory Lecture

September 25, 2025

Transformation is the only constant

Photo: l Professor Peter de With, r Mayor Suzanne Otters-Bruijnen Credits: photodette

Last Thursday, September 18, Professor Dr. Ir. Peter de With of Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) was named Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion. The royal honor was presented by Mayor Suzanne Otters-Bruijnen immediately following his valedictory lecture. The award recognizes his pioneering scientific work and his lifelong ability to bridge academic research with practical applications that benefit society at large.

Peter de With studied Electrical Engineering at TU/e and earned his PhD from Delft University of Technology in 1992. His career began at Philips Research in 1984, where he advanced the field of video compression and later served as Senior TV Systems Architect. From 1997 to 2000, he held a full professorship at the University of Mannheim in Germany before returning to the Netherlands to combine roles in industry and academia.

A career of innovation and impact

From 2000-2007, he worked at software companies (CMG, Logica) and acted as a principal consultant and distinguished business consultant. Since 2000, he also has been a part-time professor at TU/e, leading the Video Coding & Architectures group (in SPS), focusing on video and image signal processing, machine learning, and computer vision. His work has found applications in healthcare, security, and the automotive sector. From 2008-2010, he was VP Video Analysis at Cyclomedia. Since 2011, he has been a full professor at TU/e, chairing the VCA group and was the scientific director of C3Te center until 2018.

Bridging research and society

De With has been instrumental in advancing video analysis for real-world challenges. His collaborations include projects with the Port of Rotterdam, the Ministry of Defense, Bosch Security Systems, TKH Security, ViNotion, and regional and national hospitals. One of his most notable contributions is in early cancer detection, with research on esophageal cancer diagnostics receiving international recognition.

With more than 700 (co-)publications on video coding, analysis and AI modeling, 30 patents, and numerous awards-including the Chester Sall Award and the SPIE Paper Award-he has made a lasting impact on both science and industry. As an IEEE Fellow and active member of the Royal Holland Society of Sciences, he has remained deeply engaged with the scientific community.

Inspiring the next generation

Beyond his research, De With has mentored over 30 PhD students, many of whom now hold influential positions in academia and industry. He is widely respected for encouraging young researchers to connect their work to societal challenges. His service to scientific committees, funding bodies, and professional associations reflects his dedication to advancing the broader research ecosystem.

Photo: Professor Peter de With. Credits: photodette

Valedictory Lecture: 'Transformation is the only constant'

In his farewell lecture, De With reflected on two centuries of signal transformation research, beginning with Joseph Fourier's groundbreaking work in 1822. He traced the evolution from classical transformations, such as the discrete cosine and wavelet transforms used in video compression, to today's deep learning models that power modern computer vision and AI applications.

By reviewing these milestones, he emphasized the enduring importance of mathematical transformations as tools for modeling and designing real-world solutions-even in an era increasingly dominated by artificial intelligence.

A lasting legacy

The royal distinction of Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion crowns a career dedicated to innovation, collaboration, and education. Professor Peter de With leaves behind a legacy not only of scientific achievement, but also of mentorship and societal impact-qualities that will continue to inspire researchers and practitioners for years to come.

Media Contact

Rianne Sanders
(Communications Advisor ME/EE)
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