Deakin Professor elected as fellow of Australia's top STEM academy

Pro Vice-Chancellor for Defence Technologies and Director of the Institute for Intelligent Systems Research and Innovation at Deakin, Professor Saeid Nahavandi, said he was delighted to be appointed as a fellow of The Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering.

"I'm very proud and happy, it's a great honour to be elected and serve the nation among the top scientists, technologists and engineers," Professor Nahavandi said.

As fellow of The Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering Professor Nahavandi wants to help Australian industry prepare for the next Industrial revolution, what he's dubbed as 'Industry 5.0'.

"This will involve robot and intelligent systems being seamlessly connected with humans, with an ability to predict the needs and wants of human beings and assist in a wide variety of tasks - from the simple to the very complex," he said.

"Robots and haptic devices will take various new shapes and play characters which are set to pave the way for better trust between human and machines."

In a career spanning more than 27 years, Professor Nahavandi is globally recognised for his pioneering research into intelligent robotic and haptic systems, with many of his modelling and simulation technologies used in civilian and defence applications.

He has provided consultancy to governments and industry in Australia, USA and Europe, while revolutionising haptically-enabled robotic and virtual reality systems for use in challenging environments, and set up the robotics laboratory which would eventually become Deakin's Institute for Intelligent Systems Research and Innovation.

"I started as a one man band and quickly, through various Australian Research Council and industry research grants, grew the team," Professor Nahavandi said.

"Many of my former students have become associate and full professors, and I'm extremely proud to know that 34 PhD graduates of mine are either working in my team or engaged in various roles in industry and defence sectors.

"Deakin provided me with the most fertile ground to take ideas and concepts from fundamental research to a commercial ready state. Two Deakin Start Ups - FLAIM, a virtual and haptic based firefighting tool, and the world leading Universal Motion Simulator were made possible initially by Australian Research Council grants and subsequently were funded partly by the Department of Defence."

The Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering President, Professor Hugh Bradlow, welcomed the new Fellows.

"We bring together Australia's leading experts in applied science, technology and engineering to provide impartial, practical and evidence-based advice to enable Australia to maintain its position as a leading technology economy. The 2019 cohort of new Fellows comprises a remarkable and talented group, who will contribute to helping the Academy fulfil its mission," he said.