M. Fatih Erden is the manager of Channels Department in Seagate Research where he leads a team of scientists on future read-channel architecture alternatives for improving Seagate data storage systems from performance, cost, and reliability perspective. He works with the head of other departments to develop future technology roadmaps, R&D goals and milestones to align his group objectives with the company goals. His responsibilities also include aligning academic research with the needs of hard disk industry on general areas of signal processing and coding for data storage. Before joining to Seagate in 2001, Dr. Erden worked for almost three years in Dublin in a company as senior and principal engineers responsible from the design of gigabit ethernet chip, and one year in Finland, Tampere University of Technology as a senior researcher on "Signal Processing in Source and Channel Coding" project. Dr. Erden holds BSc (1990), MSc (1993), and PhD (1997) degrees all from Bilkent University, Turkey, has 14 published patent applications (seven of which are issued), and is the author of more than 60 scientific publications.