Francis F. Lee

Francis Fan Lee
Lee in 2015
Born(1927-01-28)January 28, 1927
DiedJanuary 12, 2024(2024-01-12) (aged 96)
NationalityAmerican
Alma materMassachusetts Institute of Technology
Occupation(s)Inventor, engineer and academic
Employer(s)Lexicon, Inc., Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Francis Fan Lee (李凡, January 28, 1927 – January 12, 2024) was a Chinese-American inventor, businessman, and professor emeritus of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Lee was the founder of Lexicon (company) (originally American Data Sciences). He is best known for three inventions: the Digital Cardiac Monitor (1969), the Digital Audio Signal Processor (1971), and the Digital Time Compression System (1972). In 1984, Lexicon won an Emmy Award for Engineering Excellence for the Model 1200 Audio Time Compressor and Expander, widely used in the television industry.