DPS Awards: introducing the judges

The Diesel Progress Awards are being judged by a distinguished panel of engine and powertrain industry figures representing manufacturing, consulting, distribution and regulatory bodies.

The panel, which will be chaired by Diesel Progress Editor/Publisher Mike Osenga, comprises:

Dr Andrew Noble, Head of Commercial Vehicle and Off Highway Market Sector, Ricardo

Dr Andrew Noble, Ricardo

Andy has worked at Ricardo for over 30 years on a wide range of automotive research and product development projects. He currently is leader of the Commercial Vehicle and Off Highway Market Sector for Asia and North America, a customer-facing team managing the winning and delivery of powertrain/vehicle design and development projects from concept through to production.

The team faces the challenges of delivering to OEM and Tier 1 customers improved emissions, better fuel efficiency, higher power density and enhanced productivity for application sectors including commercial vehicle, off highway, rail and power generation.

He has authored over thirty technical papers, has filed seven patents and chaired numerous sessions at international conferences in the engine and automotive arena.

His current main areas of interest are the development of improved powertrains for commercial vehicles and off highway machines, and finding pathways to implementation of electrification, alternative fuels and autonomous operation.

Dr. Noble has a Bachelor of Science Honours degree from the University of Southampton, UK and a Doctorate from Imperial College, London.

Jim Saunders, Business Development, MurCal, Inc.

Jim Saunders, MurCal

Jim has worked for more than 25 years in the engines business and is currently in business development for MurCal in California. MurCal is a West Coast leader in engine, pump, genset controls and emission compliance solutions for industrial applications. It represents products including Murphy by Enovation Controls, FW Murphy Production Controls, Johnson Matthey, Hewitt Industries, and Intellispark.

Prior to this, Jim was with Enovation Controls for 11 years as Vice President Sales and Marketing, displays and power controls, responsible for global strategy and driving sales and strategic marketing initiatives. He managed personal relationships at all the targeted customer groups, which included engines manufactures, OEMs, packagers and distributors.

Before joining Enovation he was Sales Manager at Waukesha Engine, a half billion dollar global industrial engine manufacturer providing natural gas fueled engines to packagers and for the natural gas pipeline sector. Before Waukesha he gained knowledge and experience working in sales roles for Deutz and Milton Caterpillar.

Jim received his Bachelor’s degree from the UOP and MBA from LeTourneau University in 2008. He is also a FAA certified airframe and PowerPlant technician as well as certified Caterpillar technician.

Dr Peter Scherm, General Manager, EUROMOT

Dr Peter Scherm, EUROMOT

Peter Scherm has worked at EUROMOT (the European Association of Internal Combustion Engine Manufacturers) in Brussels, Belgium, since 2004, when he joined as General Manager. His responsibilities cover the management of the association, governmental affairs and external communications. He also provides strategic support for the EUROMOT technical experts’ groups on non-road mobile machinery engines for land-based, marine and stationary applications.

After receiving his PhD in organic and physical chemistry, he was employed at Unilever from 1992 to 1997, working in research and development of chemical catalysis in Germany, the UK and the Netherlands.

From 1997 to 2004 he was at Engelhard Technologies (BASF) in Germany, where he served as head of process and production development for automotive after-treatment systems and as key account manager for major European automotive manufacturers.

Dr John C. Wall, Former Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Cummins Inc.

Dr John Wall

John has more than 40 years of industry experience in internal combustion engine technology, fuels and emissions, and in global engineering organization development.

Most recently, John served as Chief Technical Officer of Cummins Inc., the world’s largest independent manufacturer of diesel engines and related technologies, retiring in 2015. As he progressed from research and product engineering into engineering leadership, John remained directly involved in the most critical technology programs for low emissions, powertrain efficiency and alternative fuels. He also led the growth of Cummins technical organization from 1000 engineers, mostly centered in the U.S., to more than 6000 engineers globally, establishing new technical centers in India and China.

Prior to joining Cummins in 1986, John led Diesel and Aviation Fuels Research for Chevron, where his team was first to discover the important contribution of fuel sulfur to diesel particulate emissions.

He is currently an advisor to the DOE Joint BioEnergy Institute and Co-Optima Program; the Cyclotron Road energy incubator at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory; to the International Council of Clean Transportation and to the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California – Davis. He is active in a number of roles with the National Academies, including the Board on Energy and Environmental Systems, and is a member of the Board of Directors of Achates Power.

John has been recognized for his technical contributions by election to the National Academy of Engineering and as a Fellow of the Society of Automotive Engineers. He has received the SAE Horning Memorial Award and Arch T. Colwell Merit Award for research in the area of diesel fuel effects on emissions, the SAE Franz F. Pischinger Powertrain Innovation Award, the ASME Soichiro Honda Medal for significant engineering contributions in the field of personal transportation, and the California Air Resources Board Haagen-Smit Clean Air Award and US EPA Thomas W. Zosel Individual Achievement Award for career accomplishments in diesel emission control.

John studied mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he received his SB and SM degrees from the Mechanical Engineering Honors Program in 1975 and ScD in 1978.