Skip to main content

ITS Australia announces Max Lay award winner

Dr Peter Sweatman receives lifetime achievement recognition for his transport career
By Ben Spencer October 8, 2020 Read time: 3 mins
Dr Sweatman has been involved in C/AVs, ITS and transport research in Australia and beyond (© Vladzetter | Dreamstime.com)

The University of Melbourne's Dr Peter Sweatman has received ITS Australia's Max Lay Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition for his role in advancing the country's transport technology. 

The globally-recognised award celebrates leaders in the transport industry and ITS. 

Throughout his 30-year career, Sweatman has been involved in transportation research and the application of R&D. He is known for his involvement in connected and autonomous vehicles (C/AV), safety and ITS as well as transportation research and education. 

Dr Sweatman has conducted heavy truck productivity and safety projects in Australia (Source: ITS Australia)
Dr Sweatman has conducted heavy truck productivity and safety projects in Australia (credit: ITS Australia)

"Smart vehicles and infrastructure are not enough - we need a mobility system with a soul. I've had the privilege to contribute to the current virtuous ITS cycle in the United States and Australia, on the back of pioneers like Max Lay,” Sweatman says. 

His career has taken him to Europe and Asia-Pacific and the US.

In the US, he was a co-founding principal of CAVita — a connected and automated vehicle ecosystem partner for government, industry and academia. 

He was director of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute from 2004 -15 and the founder and former director of the Michigan Mobility Transformation Center (MTC) between 2013-16.

MTC opened the test facility, Mcity, in 2015 and has been conducting off-roadway testing of AVs.

In 2020, Sweatman returned to Australia, joining the University of Melbourne as international enterprise professor with the Aimes (Australian Integrated Multimodal Ecosystem) testbed.

The testing area covers 6km2 and more than 100km of local and arterial roads and freeways.

Additionally, he has a lead role in the MAX: Michigan Australia Exchange in Mobility, a partnership between Michigan and the Australian Government to improve cooperation between government and businesses in all areas of future transport research and technology. 

Sweatman was a chairman of the board of ITS America and has also served as founding chair of the ITS America Leadership Circle.

He worked on the US Department of Transport's ITS Advisory Committee, as well as several roles with the Society of Automotive Engineers. At the US Transportation Research Board, he chaired the recent EU-US Symposium Towards Road Transport Automation and served on the TRB Committee on National Research Frameworks: Application to Transportation. In 2017, Dr Sweatman was inducted to the ITS America Hall of Fame.

His achievements include being elected a fellow of the academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering in 1997.

He was awarded a Centenary Medal in 2002 by the Australian prime minister for services to transportation engineering.

He served as chair at the Australian Road Transport Suppliers' Association and remains a life member.

He conducted heavy truck productivity and safety projects in Australia and around the world and chaired the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Divine Programme, examining technical, economic and policy aspects of heavy vehicles' impacts on roads and bridges.

UTC

Related Content

  • January 13, 2017
    Australia trials shortened cost benefit evaluation
    A shortened and tailored cost benefit assessment is helping show the worth of C-ITS in Australia. An Australian ‘rapid cost-benefit assessment’ method, introduced to help prepare the ground for co-operative ITS (C-ITS) deployment and showcased at the ITS World Congress in Melbourne, has generated encouraging results.
  • June 13, 2018
    Singapore plans changes to transit system
    Singapore has the third-highest population density in the world and the numbers are continuing to grow. The government knows that transit is vital: David Crawford investigates the city state’s Smart Nation strategy. Transport is the most important of the five domains identified as the pillars of Singapore's far-reaching Smart Nation strategy, launched in November 2014 by prime minister Lee Hsien Loong with the aim of reaching fulfilment by 2024. Roads account for 12% of the island republic's 719km2 land ar
  • January 18, 2021
    Trottenberg to be number two at USDoT
    Former New York City transport commissioner's appointment is 'applauded' by ITS America
  • March 1, 2012
    Dr. Bill Sowell joins Aldis executive team
    Aldis, a specialist in next-generation vehicle detection and traffic management systems and developer of the GridSmart vision-based traffic monitoring and control system., has announced that Dr. Bill Sowell has joined its executive management team as senior vice president - international. Most recently serving as managing director for Swarco Middle East, Sowell’s background includes senior level roles in organisations such as Econolite, Peek Traffic, Image Sensing Systems, TEC Engineering and Swarco AG.