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Florida Polytechnic University senior director to lead international research on autonomous vehicles

June 17, 2019

LAKELAND, Fla. – As the Advanced Mobility Institute at Florida Polytechnic University positions itself as a leader in autonomous vehicle research, senior director of special projects Dr. Rahul Razdan will head a new series of reports focused on the testing and validation of this emerging technology around the world.

SAE International (Society of Automotive Engineers) approached Razdan to be the lead editor of the new SAE EDGE™ Research Reports, which aim to develop groundbreaking research on key issues in areas of interest to the mobility engineering industry internationally. The purpose of this series is to bring light to unsettling aspects of autonomous vehicles and provide a methodical approach to the way people think about and work with this fast-shifting technology.

“The current automotive paradigm has reached an equilibrium within the economy over the last century,” said Razdan. “Soon autonomous vehicles will change this equilibrium in unexpected ways in fields ranging from transportation to finance.

“In these research reports we’ll explore the changes this technology will create in multiple areas including safety, where there are so many unanswered questions,” Razdan added.

The research will be divided into three reports: the first on testing and verification, the second on how environmental factors like the weather can affect autonomous vehicle operation, and the third on the impact this technology will have on society as we know it, with inevitable changes to insurance policies, law enforcement, and more.

“My role will involve setting up a framework and pulling from local, national, and worldwide leaders in the autonomous vehicle field from industry, government, and academia,” said Razdan. “One of the key groups we will leverage is the Advanced Mobility Institute from Florida Poly. I will then pull together the reports based on input from all the contributors.”

As Florida Poly’s senior director of special projects, Razdan serves as an advisor to the president of the University and helps manage the Advanced Mobility Institute, a university research center focused on advancing and testing autonomous vehicle technology.

Contact:
Lydia Guzman
Assistant Director of Communications
863-874-8557

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Presenter Profile

Michelle Powell serves as the pioneering Risk Manager at Florida Polytechnic University, the state’s sole 100% STEM-dedicated institution. Having been with the university for nearly 11 years, Michelle transitioned from a leadership role in Admissions in October 2023 to establish and evolve the risk management function from the ground up. In this solo capacity, Michelle builds robust frameworks for our dynamic, young university, overseeing our insurance portfolio, consulting on third-party and event risks, and developing critical campus-wide training programs. Michelle has obtained the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations (COSO) Enterprise Risk Management certificate and the Associate in Risk Management (ARM) and Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist (CRIS) designations. Her distinct background in mathematics and engineering, combined with extensive higher education leadership, brings an analytical and strategic approach enhancing the institution’s resilience.