MIRA Engineer is Awarded a National Accolade
Dr. David Ward is an engineer with specialist and international expertise in automotive functional safety and has been awarded a prestigious accolade by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).
Dr. Ward – Head of Functional Safety at MIRA, was presented with the IMechE Prestige Award for Risk Reduction in Mechanical Engineering following 20 years of work leading automotive industry efforts to develop international safety standards.
These efforts began with MISRA (The Motor Industry Software Reliability Association) and have continued with the development of the international standard ISO 26262, which Dr Ward and his team at MIRA continue to influence as work continues to extend its scope to other vehicles beyond passenger cars. As part of his work with both MIRA and MISRA, Dr Ward has been instrumental in the development of codes of practice for the design, development and verification of embedded software, which has significant implications for vehicle safety. Starting as guidelines for automotive applications, this has now been adopted in the rail, aerospace, military and medical sectors and laid the foundation for the development of the automotive industry standard ISO 26262.
The IMechE Prestige Awards celebrate those who have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to engineering and its future, and Dr Ward was specifically recognised for his outstanding contributions in establishing international standards for system safety.
Dr David Ward said:
“I am exceptionally proud to have been awarded the IMechE Prestige Award for Risk Reduction in Mechanical Engineering.
“Winning this accolade reiterates MIRA’s leading position in functional safety, which has a direct impact on the safety of the vehicles used by consumers and industry every day. MIRA’s techniques are accepted as global automotive standards and have now been adopted by numerous sectors, providing extensive enhancements to vehicle safety. To be recognised for my work on these influential activities and to be part of an innovative global team is something I’m really proud of.”
