Australian professor recognised for contributions to automatic control theory

A University of Newcastle electrical engineering professor has been awarded a top international medal in recognition of his contributions to automatic control theory and practice. Laureate Professor Graham Goodwin has been named the 2013 recipient of the Rufus Oldenburger Medal by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

Goodwin is only the second Australian to ever receive the medal, and the first whose research is based in Australia (the medal was previously won by Australian-born American engineer Gordon Brown in 1977).

Professor Goodwin said he felt “inspired” and “honoured” to receive the award, which sees him join a prestigious list of previous recipients from institutions such as Harvard University, UC Berkeley, Stanford University and MIT.

This medal is one of a number of prestigious international awards Professor Goodwin has received in recognition of his globally significant engineering contributions. Despite his many accolades, however, Professor Goodwin says one of his greatest joys remains his students.

“I am excited to be able to work with young people who continue to inspire and challenge me,” he said.

His current research includes developing an artificial pancreas to assist people suffering from type 1 diabetes, working on ambulance scheduling to improve the effectiveness of emergency services, and the control of systems to improve the upload capacity and operation of 3G and 4G mobile telecommunications.

Professor Goodwin will be presented with the medal at the ASME 2013 Dynamic Systems and Control Conference in Palo Alto, California in October.