SAE Award, Gerhard-Schmidt. Ford’s Schmidt Named First Recipient of SAE International Powertrain Innovation Award

SAE Award, Gerhard-Schmidt.

Story from: SAE Home > News & Awards > News

WARRENDALE, Pa., May 21, 2009 - Gerhard Schmidt, Chief Technical Officer and Vice President of Research and Advanced Engineering at Ford Motor Company, is the first recipient of SAE International’s Franz F. Pischinger Powertrain Innovation Award. He was honored during the SAE 2009 World Congress in Detroit.

• The award honors an engineer who has demonstrated outstanding innovation in the field of powertrain engineering. The award is funded by FEV through the SAE Foundation to honor Pischinger, FEV Chairman of the Board. Pischinger has devoted his 50-year career to furthering powertrain technology and the education of young engineers.


• A former student of Pischinger’s, Schmidt leads Ford's worldwide research organization based in Dearborn, Mich., and Aachen, Germany. As head of the advanced engineering group, he also oversees the planning, development and implementation of Ford's top global technology objectives.


• "This award truly recognizes the team of talented people I've been honored to work beside throughout my career," Schmidt said. "As a former Ph.D. student of Professor Pischinger at the University of Aachen, this award is particularly meaningful to me and demonstrates how our lives come full circle. I appreciate his contribution to my education, to our industry and to the overall Powertrain Science and Technology discipline."