Announcements
22 May 2026
Entropy Webinar | Information Theory and Data Compression, 27 May 2026
Data compression has long been an intersection point for information theory, algorithms, and practical systems. This seminar explores several emerging directions in compression, spanning information theoretic limits, schemes implementable under computational constraints, and the rapidly evolving field of learned compression. In the first talk, the foundational Kraft inequality is revisited through the lens of finite-state encoders, developing generalized forms that shed light on the structural constraints imposed by finite-memory coding systems. The second talk examines how neural compression can serve not only as a tool for compact representation, but also as a framework for information-theoretically-sound inference and denoising under model uncertainty. The final talk surveys the state of learned compression, tracing landmark developments over the past decade, highlighting real-world deployments, and identifying the barriers left to overcome before learned compressors can be deployed at scale.
Date: 27 May 2026 at 7:00 p.m. CEST | 1:00 p.m. EDT
Webinar webpage: https://sciforum.net/event/Entropy-6?subscribe
Register now for free!
Program:
| Speaker | Presentation Title | Time in CEST | Time in EDT |
| Prof. Dr. Tsachy Weissman | Chair Introduction | 7:00–7:10 p.m. | 1:00–1:10 p.m. |
| Prof. Neri Merhav | Generalized Forms of the Kraft Inequality for Finite-State Encoders | 7:10–7:30 p.m. | 1:10–1:30 p.m. |
| Prof. Dr. Shirin Jalali | Neural Compression for Information Theoretic Inference | 7:30–7:50 p.m. | 1:30–1:50 p.m. |
| Dr. Kedar Tatwawadi | State of Learned Compression: Past, Present & Future | 7:50–8:10 p.m. | 1:50–2:10 p.m. |
| Q&A Session | 8:10–8:25 p.m. | 2:10–2:25 p.m. | |
| Prof. Dr. Tsachy Weissman | Closing of Webinar | 8:25–8:30 p.m. | 2:25–2:30 p.m. |
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information on how to join the workshop. Registrations with academic institutional email addresses will be prioritized.
Unable to attend? Register and we will let you know when the recording is available to watch.
Webinar Chair and Keynote Speakers:
- Prof. Dr. Tsachy Weissman, Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, USA;
- Prof. Neri Merhav, The Viterbi Faculty of ECE, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Israel;
- Prof. Dr. Shirin Jalali, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rutgers University, USA
- Dr. Kedar Tatwawadi, Apple Inc., USA.
Relevant Special Issue:
“Information Theory and Data Compression”
Guest Editor: Prof. Dr. Tsachy Weissman
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 December 2026
