Scuderia Ferrari F1 engine leader joins RMIT

RMIT University’s leadership in automotive engineering has been strengthened with the appointment of Scuderia Ferrari’s Dr Luca Marmorini as an Adjunct Professor in the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering.

The Head of Engines and Electronics at Scuderia Ferrari since October 2009, Dr Marmorini previously led the Formula One team’s research and innovation division and also spent 10 years working with Toyota’s F1 racing team.

Dr Marmorini will present an exclusive, invitation-only seminar on the technologies and developments in Scuderia Ferrari’s new Formula One racer at RMIT’s Design Hub on 14 March, ahead of the car’s unveiling at the 2013 Melbourne Grand Prix.

Professor Aleksandar Subic, Dean of Engineering and Head of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, said he was delighted to welcome a world leader in engine technologies and F1 racing to the school.

“RMIT’s inspiration and motivation in automotive engineering is driven by racing – Formula One and racing in general is in our DNA,” Professor Subic said.

“Dr Marmorini’s appointment at RMIT will enable our researchers and students to draw on the knowledge and strategic thinking of a global leader who is at the forefront of engine technologies in Formula One, the most demanding field of automotive engineering and a driver of innovation in the automotive industry.

“We look forward to developing this relationship in coming years and connecting RMIT’s research, teaching and learning in engine technologies with the cutting-edge development at Scuderia Ferrari.”

During his appointment as Adjunct Professor in Automotive Engineering, Dr Marmorini will deliver seminar presentations and provide strategic advice to doctoral researchers and staff on potential areas of engine research, including leading-edge experimental studies at the School’s new Green Engines Research Facility, the first of its kind in the region.

RMIT is the leader in automotive engineering in the Asia-Pacific region and ranked in the top 100 engineering faculties in the world (QS, 2012).

The first Australian institution to offer undergraduate and postgraduate automotive engineering degrees, RMIT is also the only Australian university to have won two student racing Formula SAE FISITA World Championships, and was the first to develop a hydrogen-powered racing car, in a research collaboration with Germany’s Fachhochschule Ingolstadt University of Applied Sciences.

The relationship with Scuderia Ferrari builds on RMIT’s strong network of partnerships with European automotive industry leaders, which includes BMW and VW (Bugatti).