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.

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.”