ERTRAC Executive Group

Stephan Neugebauer

Chairman

Stephan Neugebauer is Director Global Research Cooperation at BMW Group. He completed his university studies in mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Munich in 1991. He was a scholarship holder of Hanns-Seidel-Foundation. After this, while being a research assistant at the “Institute of Internal Combustion Engines and Vehicles”, he completed his doctorate by obtaining the title of Dr.-Ing.

He started at BMW in the diesel engine development department, which is located in Steyr (Austria) as Expert for Acoustics and then Expert for Injection Hydraulics.

In 1998, he returned to Munich in different new functions as Team Leader of Combustion Development of gasoline direct injection, Team Leader of Cooling Systems, and then Team Leader of Engine periphery. 

In 2005, he was transferred to the total vehicle development, taking over a new function as Head of the Energy Management Department and later as Head of the Thermal Management Department. In these functions, Stephan was responsible for the introduction of innovative fuel saving technologies like Engine Start Stop or Brake Energy Recuperation. As Head of Thermal Management, Stephan was also responsible for several research and development projects like thermal insulation of engines, which are now in the market introduction phase. 

From 2012 to 2015, Stephan Neugebauer was Head of Vehicle Project, current BMW 3 series and 4 series.

Stephan Neugebauer also acted as Chairman of several conferences (Engine-Start-Stop Systems, Thermal Recuperation) and was Member of the advisory council for the “Conference on Innovative Power Train Systems” of VDI. In 2012, he was appointed by the German Ministry of Economic Affairs to serve on the national advisory council to the German government initiative “Electromobility”.

Jean-Luc di Paola-Galloni

Operational Vice-Chairman

Jean-Luc di Paola-Galloni is Valeo Group Corporate Vice-President for Sustainability and External Affairs since October 2010. He was previously CEO's delegate, member of the executive committee at Valeo since December 2006. He joined ERTRAC as Vice-Chairman in July 2008 representing the automotive suppliers' industry.

In this respect, he's also a member of the strategic group advising the board of CLEPA (European Association of Suppliers) and takes part to the electro-mobility working group within this association.

His commitment to establish fair relationships between the automotive industry and international bodies, with a multi-stakeholder approach is also reflected by his commitment to the advisory board of the International Forum of OECD Transport Ministers from the beginning (2008) and to the Global Council of Automotive Industry of the World Economic Forum since its creation (2010). Since January 2010, Valeo Board member to the Modernization Fund of Automotive Suppliers (belonging to French Sovereign Fund - FSI).

He was previously advisor to the CEO of Gaz de France (2002-2004) and has a research experience in the field of defense, international relations and strategic affairs at Harvard University (Cambridge, Massachusetts), Ecole Normale Supérieure and Institut des Hautes Etudes de Defense Nationale (in France). He holds several degrees in geography, urban planning, humanities. He had teaching positions at Boston University, Preparatory Classes to French Grandes Ecoles, Jean Monnet European studies center of Universita' di Trento (Italy), Tamkang University in Taiwan.

Zissis Samaras

Vice-Chairman

Zissis Samaras is a Full Professor and the Director of the Lab of Applied Thermodynamics, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece. His research work deals primarily with engine and vehicle emissions testing and modeling and he has carried out a wide range of projects on modeling emissions from internal combustion engines. Dr. Samaras was also involved in the development, testing and large-scale evaluation of Diesel particulate filters. He has provided expert advice to a number of organisations and private sector customers, including the European Commission, the European Environment Agency, the World Bank, the Greek Ministry of Environment, ACEA, CONCAWE, Rhodia, Inco.

In addition, he was vice-chairman of the management committee of COST action 319, on the Estimation of Exhaust Gas Emissions and coordinated a number of large European projects, including “Particulates, Characterisation of Exhaust Particulate Emissions from Road Vehicles” and “Inspection & Maintenance of in-use Vehicles”. He is elected Academic Member of the European Road Transport Research Advisory Council (ERTRAC) on "Energy, Environment, and Resources". He is the author of more than 250 scientific publications, among them more than 100 in peer-reviewed journals, which received more than 400 citations in peer-reviewed articles, reviews and technical notes.

Simon Edwards

Vice-Chairman 

Simon is Global Director, Technology, at Ricardo. He has over 35 years’ experience in the automotive industry, working variously for an OEM, a Tier 1 supplier and an RTO. Simon is immediate past Chairman of EARPA in Brussels, has held positions at the IMechE in the UK, been a visiting lecturer at and is a member of the technical advisory board for the Esslingen University of Applied Sciences, Germany.

Simon graduated in Automotive Engineering & Design and completed his doctorate in engine tribology. These were undertaken whilst working for LeylandDAF Trucks in the UK, where he was conducting vehicle aerodynamics and engine research.

In 1993, he joined Ricardo in Shoreham-by-Sea, England, working on engine efficiency and emissions control developments. Subsequently, he moved as manager to the Technology Department, with responsibilities including optical engines and rigs, air flow development and university liaison. In 1999, Simon took the opportunity of a one-year Royal Academy of Engineering fellowship, seconded to DaimlerChrysler in Stuttgart. Thereafter, Simon continued working for Ricardo, based in Germany.

In 2006 Simon joined Behr GmbH & Co., KG in Stuttgart, as Director for Advanced Engineering in the Engine Cooling Product Division. In this role Simon lead a team with responsibilities including the development for first series production application of all engine cooling products (radiators, charge air coolers, fans, EGR coolers, oil coolers etc.), the prototype shop, the validation facilities, and the competence centres for joining and chemical technologies.

In mid-2012, Simon re-joined Ricardo, as Global Director, Technology, responsible for the research and collaboration portfolio of the company around the world. In this role he has overseen a significant growth in the involvement of Ricardo within government funded programmes, particularly the Horizon 2020 framework, within projects such as ECOCHAMPS, HDGas, GasOn, RESOLVE, REWARD, IMPERIUM, THOMSON, ALLIANCE, INTEGRAL, FUTURE-RADAR, HIFI-ELEMENTS, dieper, DownToTen and PaREGEn

Françoise Guaspare

Vice-Chairwoman

After having worked at the Île-de-France Region’s Vice-president’s cabinet on transport for 9 years, Françoise Guaspare is in charge of transport/tourism at the permanent representation of the Paris/Île-de-France Region in Brussels since 2008. She is responsible for sustainable and clean mobility, Trans European network of Transport, freight and logistics, urban mobility, Decarbonisation of transport, Transport Research and Innovation. Françoise supports the implementation of several European projects by providing strategic advising. She has always been involved in producing positions in transport policy on behalf of the European Regions. She was a member of various expert groups of the Commission, such as the group established under the Sustainable Transport Forum (STF) focusing on financing in the framework of the alternative fuel in Cities or in the TEN T group. She is actually a member of the High-level expert groups of the European Commission on cities in charge of drafting the EU Strategic, Research and Innovation Agenda on Innovating Cities (DG RTD).

She also leads the Transport working group of ERRIN (European regional network on research and innovation) and the local public investments of the POLIS Network.

She works very closely with the European Commission, the EIB in the development of new financial schemes for sustainable urban projects (CEF, EFSI….).

She currently coordinates the S3 Safe and Sustainable Mobility Thematic Platform.

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Andreas Dorda

Vice-Chairman

Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology, Austria

Andreas Dorda is ERTRAC Vice-Chairman representing the Member States.

Mr. Dorda studied Chemistry at University of Vienna (Master 1987, PhD 1992), with a post Doc at University of California in Berkeley in the field of battery research. Mr. Dorda made a research career in the industry in France, Switzerland, Argentina and Austria.

Since 1994, he is Deputy Head of Unit “Mobility and Transport Technologies” at the Austrian Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology. Responsible for several R&D funding programs for mobility management, transport research and development of transport technologies (“Logistics Austria Plus”, “Austrian Advanced Automotive Technology”). 

From 2006-2014, he was Managing Director of the Austrian Agency for Alternative Propulsion Systems, an organization acting like ERTRAC as joint platform for cooperation between industry, research institutions and public authorities in the field of infrastructure, transport and technology policy. 
Mr. Dorda is Austrian representative in many international institutions:

• ERTRAC-Plenary and Steering Group,
• ERA-NET Transport, Transport Program Committee of EU-R&D-framework programs 4,5,6,
• Chairman of national delegates of EU-technology platform BIOFUELS,
• Chairman of EU-Joint Expert Group “Transport & Environment”,
• Member of the Scientific Committee of the EU-Joint Technology Initiative “Fuel Cells & Hydrogen”,
• Co-author of the report of the EU-expert group “Strengthening the role of European Technology Platforms in addressing Europe’s Grand Societal Challenges”,
• Austrian delegate in the R&D-cooperations “Hybrid & Electric Vehicles” and “Advanced Motor Fuels” of the International Energy Agency
• Austrian delegate in the IPHE (International Partnership for Hydrogen & Fuel Cells in the Economy)

Jan Juslén

Vice-Chairman

Director of Information Management at the Finnish Transport Agency (FTA)

Jan Juslén is ERTRAC Vice-Chairman representing Member States and road infrastructures

Mr. Juslén has an MSc degree in Economics and Administration (1987) and a BA degree in Philology (1984) from the University of Tampere.

After graduation, Mr. Juslén worked as an expert and project manager in several transport sector consulting companies for over fifteen years. He specialized in projects related to land-use planning, transport system modelling, transport infrastructure feasibility studies and asset management. During this time he also held the position of Team Leader on numerous long and short-term overseas projects funded by the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, EU programs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Finland. 

Mr. Juslen joined the Finnish Road Administration (Finnra) in 2000 where he was first responsible for major software projects focused on road network modelling, asset management and maintenance operations and was later promoted to the position of Director responsible for Road and Traffic Information Management. In this position he also served as representative of Finnra in international co-operation with the Nordic countries, CEDR TG Research, ERTICO, etc.

Since the establishment of the Finnish Transportation Agency (FTA) in 2010, he has been responsible for digitalization and software development programs, ITS development, transport system automation and test ecosystems and heading the Information Management Department.

Mr. Juslén has been Finland representative in the ERTRAC Plenary for over five years.