New SAE President Focused on Big Data

Mircea Gradu, senior VP and quality chief at lidar specialist Velodyne, targets data analytics, electrification and connectivity, and STEM initiatives during his 2018 term.

February 1, 2018

Interview by Patrick Ponticel

Dr. Gradu offering comments at SAE’s 2017 ADAS to Automated Driving Symposium. (Credit: SAE)

Well-known in the mobility industry for his expertise in mechatronics and propulsion-system engineering, Mircea Gradu, Ph.D. begins his one-year term as SAE International President amid technology shifts that are rocking the automotive status quo. Gradu, the Senior Vice President of Validation/Chief Quality Officer at Velodyne LiDAR Inc., is eager to get going.

“I started my involvement with SAE 25 years ago, while I was still working and studying in Stuttgart, Germany,” noted the Bucharest native who was SAE Vice-President-Automotive during 2010-2012. “Becoming the president of an organization that I have always valued and strongly supported is the culmination of the various honors I received during my career.” He pledges to serve SAE’s global membership “to the best of my abilities.”

Dr. Gradu discussed his vision for SAE in a wide-ranging interview, an edited version of which follows.

What are your goals as SAE President?

DDr. Gradu is the first SAE President working in the new ‘mobility tech’ sector. (Credit: SAE)

Consistent with the objectives I announced during the selection process, I would like to strongly focus on ADAS (advanced driver-assistance systems) and Autonomous Vehicle technologies, given the significant Safety benefits they provide. In addition, I would like to support initiatives in Big Data Analytics and Vehicle Electrification and Connectivity, all enablers for higher levels of vehicle automation. This will be done in conjunction with increased attention to the more traditional areas of automotive engineering, subjected also to an accelerated rate of development.

Again, the engineering education, the application of the STEM model (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) represents a priority for me and a continuation of the impressive work at SAE by several previous presidents.

What are some of your most valuable talents and character traits?

I learned early in my career to listen to the various inputs I received from my talented colleagues, and try to factor them into my decisions and actions. I am always on the lookout for creative ideas and concepts and work diligently to materialize them into innovative new products and processes.

Few people have as many patents and publications as you do. How important is “drive” to success?

I have pursued innovation throughout my entire career, and I am particularly proud of awarded patents that make their way into the market place as mature products, while the rest are merely records of novel approaches. My motivation comes from a tremendous respect for engineers and for the invaluable contributions they bring to our world.

I would feel extremely rewarded if my presidential mandate continues to raise the interest level of new generations for the engineering profession and in general for STEM-based education. In my current position at Velodyne, I have the honor and privilege to work with CEO David Hall, who represents for me the living proof that even in today’s ultra-competitive environments, persistence in innovation, doubled by technical and business leadership, generates success and a life-time of accomplishments.

What should SAE do to be more relevant to mobility engineers of the 2020s?

We’re living in exciting times, with the automotive industry situated at the confluence of four major trends with extremely broad influence, beyond the boundaries of classic transportation: Greenhouse gas emissions reduction over the entire lifecycle of the vehicle, promoting the case for alternative energy powertrains; Vehicle Connectivity; increased levels of vehicle Autonomous Driving capability, and Shared Mobility.

One of the common denominators of all these trends is the increased need and opportunity for Big Data Collection and Analysis, which they create at an unprecedented rate. The Big Data benefits also the quality, safety, cybersecurity, and delivery process of the vehicle. The related tools and skills required to materialize these strategies are a blend of established and emerging disciplines. SAE must provide maximum support to its members in these areas, along with maintaining focus on the more traditional mobility engineering needs.

Has SAE been more valuable to you personally or professionally?

I would say SAE helped me both personally, by introducing me to people that I admire and value as friends today, as well as professionally, through the networking and continuous education opportunities.

In general, through my entire career, I have witnessed compelling cases where SAE has provided tremendous support to mobility industries, regulatory organizations, and providers of engineering education. In recent years, when the auto industry became concerned with cybersecurity and the framework for autonomous vehicles, SAE stepped up and created the initial set of concepts/standards, like the J3061 Cybersecurity Guidebook for Cyber-Physical Vehicle Systems and J3016 to define the levels of Driving Automation for On-Road Motor Vehicles, both embraced by key regulatory organizations.

Your advice for SAE members?

As mobility engineers, we have chosen an incredible career path that is going through an unprecedented era of change with the application of autonomous and sensing technologies. The field of automotive engineering has an opportunity to expand its reach, not just to more people around the world but also in terms of the development of technical expertise not previously associated with the automotive industry.

Everything from ‘edge computing’ to advanced cybersecurity will be incorporated into the autonomous vehicles of the near future, allowing them to become possibly the most advanced pieces of hardware made to this point. The fact that these technological advancements will be driven by automotive engineers is extremely exciting to me, and I hope inspiring to younger and aspiring engineers.