Deakin automotive engineering expert appointed to international advisory board Friday, 27 May 2016

Sponsored editorial piece written by Deakin University, Principal Partner of Engineers Australia, Victoria Division.

Deakin University automotive engineering expert Associate Professor Bernard Rolfe has been appointed to the newly formed Academic Advisory Board of FISITA, the international organisation for the automotive engineering profession.

In a media release, FISITA said the Academic Advisory Board – initially made up of five leading universities around the world – has been ‘specifically created to support and develop strategic relations between the automotive industry and academia on an international basis’. Academics from universities in the UK, Germany, China, Australia and the U.S. will regularly engage with FISITA and its members to collaborate and share their expertise and develop mutually  beneficial development plans.

Associate Professor Rolfe, Associate Head of School (Research) in Deakin’s School of Engineering, said he was honoured by the appointment.

‘It is an honour to be chosen to represent Deakin and Australia on this new Academic Advisory Board for FISITA,’ Associate Professor Rolfe said.

‘Deakin is an innovator with regard to teaching and industry engagement and I hope to contribute our knowledge to the Board’s progress. There are many challenges facing the Australian automotive sector, which are different to those faced in the U.S., Europe or China. The future of Australian automotive engineering is changing quickly, with the loss of automotive manufacturing and only Ford retaining a large design and engineering group in Australia. In light of this,  one of the critical questions for the sector is how to integrate Australian automotive SMEs into global supply chains.

‘Globally we are seeing a shift from automotive having a mechanical engineering focus to more of an information technology focus, with the future of automotive development being in the areas of communication, interaction and vehicle intelligence. I therefore hope to add a distinctive Australian voice to a global board.’

Associate Professor Rolfe’s current research focus is the forming of lightweight structures, including the development of better material models for metal forming. He has been a part of over fifteen successful nationally competitive large research grants, totalling more than $15 million in awarded funds, and has published more than 100 refereed articles.

Associate Professor Rolfe is the Lightweighting Theme Leader for the Automotive Technology Cooperative Research Centre (AutoCRC), where he is responsible for reviewing $15M in projects and PhD students’ progress. Last year Associate Professor Rolfe received Deakin University’s Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Industry Engagement in Research.