Oswald G. Villard, Jr.
SRI International
September 17, 1916 - February 7, 2004
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Scientific Discipline: Geophysics Membership Type:
Emeritus
(elected 1958)
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Oswald Villard was an electrical engineer who contributed to the improvement of radar and radio communications. He developed radar that could “see” over the horizon by reflecting signals off the ionsphere in order to compensate for the curvature of the earth. With this technology, the U.S. military could detect enemy aircraft from thousands of miles away. He developed a method for two-way communication over a single frequency, called single-sideband modulation, that expanded the range of channels available for two-way communication. Other technologies to which he contributed include the blocking of target return signals from enemy aircraft and the development of a simple antenna that allowed people in foreign countries to hear previously blocked Voice of America broadcasts.
Villard attended Yale University, where he earned his undergraduate degree. He went on to earn his master’s degree and PhD from Stanford University, where he became an associate professor in 1938. During World War II, Villard conducted radar research at the Radio Research Laboratory at Harvard University. After the war he returned to Stanford to continue his research. In 1969, amid war protests, he moved his research to the Stanford Research Institute to continue providing technologies for the United States. He was awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service by the Department of Defense.
