David Luenberger

David Gilbert Luenberger (September 16, 1937 – May 19, 2026) was an American mathematical scientist known for his research and his textbooks, which center on mathematical optimization. He was a professor in the department of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford University.

Biography Luenberger was one of the original founders of the Department of Engineering-Economic Systems in 1967. He served as chairman of the department for eleven years. He worked as a professor at the University for 50 years, retiring as of September 2013.

He has over 70 technical publications on systems and control, in optimization, in microeconomics, and in financial engineering. His Investment Science is widely prescribed and referenced by finance academics and practitioners.

He received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology in 1959, and he received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University in 1963. His PhD thesis was titled, "Determining the State of a Linear System with Observers of Low Dynamic Order". In his dissertation Luenberger introduced new methods for construction of state observers. The celebrated Luenberger observer is named after him.

Luenberger died on May 19, 2026, at the age of 88.

Books