John G. Webster

Biography

John G. Webster was Professor Emeritus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering. He was one of the founding fathers of the field of biomedical engineering

Webster got his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University in 1953. After that he worked as a research engineer at aviation companies, including Boeing Airplane Co. He also worked at IBM for two years before re-entering academia. In 1965, he got a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Rochester, where he continued his research and got a PhD in 1967. Soon after, he joined the University of Wisconsin-Madison as an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering. In 1976, he became the Director of the Biomedical Engineering Center at the university. He also served as a professor of Computer Engineering. From 2001, he was Professor Emeritus of Biomedical Engineering as the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has supervised over 24 PhDs and over 67 Masters Theses.

Professor Webster’s research interest lied in medical instrumentation and he has published widely on bioinstrumentation. He also researched bioelectrodes, biopotential amplifoers and interference and electromuscular incapacitation device – stun guns and Tasers, and was involved in a research project on implantable intracranial pressure monitor. He worked closely with the Department of Neurological Surgery Professor Joshua Medow to develop a permanently implanted passive pressure sensor to measure intracranial pressure. He and his graduate students are also working on a miniature sternal skin-attached hot flash monitor to collect objective data on hot flashes that cause sleep disturbances.

Professor Webster had been the Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering from 1979 to 1985. During those years he was also a member of the Administrative Committee of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. In 1988-89, he was Chairman of Fellows Committee of IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Professor Webster was the recipient of the IEEE Third Millennium Medal in 2000, the 2001 IEEE EMBS Career Achievement Award, and the 2019 IEEE James H. Mulligan, Jr. Education Medal. He was the author of several textbooks including "Medical Instrumentation Application and Design", and served as an editor for "Encyclopedia of Medical Devices and Instrumentation", and "Encyclopedia of Electrical and Electronic Engineering".

Webster died on March 29th, 2023.