John Bandler’s Contributions to Sensitivity Analysis: A Cornerstone of Design and Imaging Methodologies

John Bandler is mostly known for his groundbreaking contributions to design optimization and for pioneering the space-mapping methodology. What is less known these days is that he also pioneered efficient analysis methods for the response sensitivities of microwave circuits. He formulated the adjoint sensitivity theory for microwave networks in the late 1960s. Later, as a pioneer of electromagnetics-based optimization, he has always been acutely aware of the need to accelerate response gradient computations with full-wave simulators. This is how the work on analytical response sensitivities started at McMaster University, which ultimately led to the modern high-frequency design suites equipped with S-parameter sensitivity calculators. This talk is a tribute to the vision and contributions of Dr. Bandler in transforming a highly mathematical theory into a practical tool that made electromagnetics-based design and image-reconstruction a reality.