Johann F. Böhme was born in Senftenberg, Germany, on January 26, 1940. He received the Diplom (equ. M.Sc.) in mathematics in 1966, the Dr.-Ing. (equ. PhD) in 1970, and the Habilitation in 1977, both in computer science, from the Technische Universität Hannover, the Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, and the Universität Bonn, respectively.

From 1967 to 1970 he was a research assistant with Krupp Atlas Elektronik, Bremen and with the Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg. From 1970 to 1974 he headed a sonar research group with Krupp Atlas Elektronik, Bremen. He then joined the Universität Bonn as head of a signal processing research group until 1978 and later the Forschungsinstitut für Hochfrequenzphysik of FGAN, Wachtberg-Werthhoven.

Since 1980 he has been Professor at the Fakultät für Elektrotechnik und Informationstechnik of Ruhr-Universität Bochum, where he headed the Lehrstuhl für Signaltheorie up to 2005. Since then he has been an emeritus professor. He has supervised some 35 doctoral theses. Meanwhile, ten of his former students have become full professors at well reputed universities in Austria, Canada, Germany, Norway, Spain, and U.S.A.

Apart from reviewing for internationally most recognized journals and science foundations, he has done extensive consulting of companies as Volkswagen, Ford, Bosch and Atlas Elektronik.

His research interests are in the field of statistical signal processing. This includes not only sensor array signal processing with applications to sonar, underwater communication, seismic monitoring, and seismic exploration, but also automotive signal processing with applications to combustion monitoring and motor management. He has authored or co-authored 4 books or theses, 10 book chapters, some 60 revised journal papers, and more than 200 peer-reviewed conference proceedings papers.

He is honorary member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Electronics and Communications (AEÜ) and of Elsevier's Digital Signal Processing. He was elected as a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in 1990, as a Member of the Nordrhein-Westfälische Akademie der Wissenschaften in 1998, as a Member of acatech, the German Academy of Science and Engineering in 2001, as a Chairman of the Class of Engineering and Economics of the Nordrhein-Westfälische Akademie der Wissenschaften in 2005, and as a Corresponding Member of the Royal Spanish Academy of Engineering in 2006.

He was recipient of the IEEE Signal Processing Society Technical Achievement Award in 2003, the Honorary Doctorate of the University of Montenegro, and the title of Honorary Professor by East China University of Science and Technology both in 2008. He was elected as the first German Fellow of the European Association for Signal Processing in 2013.