William Kuperman, emeritus professor of oceanography and former Director of the Marine Physical Laboratory (MPL) at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, died June 30. He was 81.
Kuperman was widely recognized for his contributions to the fields of underwater acoustics and acoustical oceanography. Though he is known as one of the founding fathers of the discipline of computational ocean acoustics, he also spent several years conducting research at sea. His work at Scripps concentrated on understanding the propagation, analysis and localization of sounds underwater in the natural environment.
Scripps physical oceanographer Bruce Cornuelle credited Kuperman with work that accelerated modern ocean acoustics research, including the co-authoring of the textbook "Computational Ocean Acoustics."
“Bill was the dominant figure in ocean acoustics, and he had a long relationship with the Navy, which relied on him for advice on scientific directions as well as practical choices,” Cornuelle said. “He was generous, kind, loyal and supportive, motivated by curiosity, not glory, and had a great sense of humor. His passing impacts people around the country, and around the world.”
Born in New York City in 1943, Kuperman received a bachelor’s degree from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn in 1965, a Master of Science from the University of Chicago in 1966, and a PhD from the University of Maryland in 1972, all in physics. He had previously held research positions with the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., the SACLANT Undersea Research Center in La Spezia, Italy, and the Naval Ocean and Atmosphere Research Laboratory at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. He joined Scripps Oceanography in 1992 and served as director of the Marine Physical Laboratory from then until 2020.
Kuperman was a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the American Geophysical Union, and a fellow and former president of the Acoustical Society of America, which awarded him its Pioneers of Underwater Acoustics Medal and its Gold Medal in recognition of his leadership, mentorship, and service. He also received the Walter Munk Award, named for his Scripps colleague, in 2011 from The Oceanography Society, and served as Secretary of the Navy/Chief of Naval Operations Chair for Ocean Science.
“Bill was instrumental in advancing our understanding of ocean sound propagation, shallow water acoustics, and the integration of signal processing in environmental applications,” said Scripps oceanographer and current MPL Director Eric Terrill. “His work encompassed both theoretical and experimental aspects, often involving extensive at-sea experiments. He was also a wonderful mentor and generous with his time.”
Kuperman’s mentorship of generations of scientists earned him a reputation for benevolence in the eyes of many.
“Bill made sure that everyone in his group was actively participating in numerous seagoing experiments, including several in conjunction with the NATO laboratory in Italy that was known as SACLANT back then,” said Michael Collins, a mathematician at the Naval Research Laboratory. “Bill was an inspiration to everyone in the group, somewhat along the lines of a football coach whose players would run through a brick wall for him.”
Kuperman himself expressed the value of character as scientists pursued their research careers.
"I was told when I was a young scientist at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory that in a research environment, 51% of the product is the scientist, and the research results will follow," he said in a 2012 interview. "I've lived by that."
Kuperman is survived by wife Gaby of La Jolla, Calif., daughter Rachel Kuperman of Berkeley, Calif., son Mark Kuperman of Tampa, Fla., and three grandchildren.
