Mario Mongiardini

Dr Mario Mongiardini

Grant-Funded Researcher (B)

Centre for Automotive Safety Research

Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.

I joined the Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR) as a Research Associate in 2018. Previously, I held research positions at two other institutions, in USA (2010- 2012) and in Sydney (2012-2018). I graduated with a PhD in Civil Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (USA) in 2010 and a MSc in Mechanical Engineering from Polytechnic University of Milan (Italy) in 2003.

Within the years, I have worked on various topics orbiting around road safety; from testing roadside safety barriers and vehicle passive safety to assessing the safety benefits of road treatments and emerging vehicle safety technologies. Throughout these diverse work experiences, he developed and applied various engineering and analytical skills such as detail modelling crash events using finite element analysis, conducting before/after analysis to assess the safety benefits of road safety treatments, designing and supervising experimental crash tests, as well as programming computer codes to effectively deliver specific tasks of a project.

By conducting research activities at academic institutions, I have developed a strong and rigorous approach for formulating problems, proposing feasible solutions, and implementing solutions in a successful manner. Additionally, I also developed effective approaches to successfully train students on various technical topics.
I am author or co-author of various peer-reviewed publications in scientific journals and conferences, as well as technical reports to various road agencies.

My research interests are focused all around road safety, ranging from safe road infrastructure to vehicle safety.

Current and past research activities on road infrastructure include implementing the Safe System approach to improve the safety of existing or planned road infrastructure, testing and evaluating the safety performance of road safety barriers, evaluating the safety benefits of traditional treatments as well as Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS). Additionally, I have been involved in research related to the analysis of data using Naturalistic Driving Studies (NDS) with an emphasis on identifying the interaction of drivers with infrastructures.
Other research activities I have conducted on vehicle safety include evaluating the safety benefits of emerging vehicle technologies, such as Advanced Driver Assisting Systems (ADAS) and Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs), crash testing of vehicle rollovers, and modelling quad-bike safety in farming environment.

In both my current and past research activities, I have used a variety of approaches varying from data analysis to numerical modelling and from conducting physical tests to real-world trials. The modelling activities I use range from programming ad-hoc computer codes (e.g., for predicting the number of crashes in the future) to using advanced non-linear finite element software to predict with high details vehicle deformation and kinematics during crash events. Trials of road infrastructure treatment or crash testing are conducted in collaboration with road safety authorities and crash test facilities, respectively.

  • Appointments
    Date Position Institution name
    2018 - ongoing Research Fellow The University of Adelaide
    2012 - 2018 Research Associate UNSW Australia
    2010 - 2012 Post-Doctoral Research Associate University of Nebraska–Lincoln
    2006 - 2009 Research Assistant Worcester Polytechnic Institute
    2004 - 2006 Research Engineer Polytechnic University of Milan

  • Language Competencies
    Language Competency
    English Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review
    Italian Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review
    Spanish; Castilian Can read

  • Education
    Date Institution name Country Title
    2010 Worcester Polytechnic Institute United States PhD
    2003 Polytechnic University of Milan Italy MSc

  • Certifications
    Date Title Institution name Country
    2004 Professional engineering qualification in Mechanical Engineering Polytechnic University of Milan Italy

  • Research Interests
    Automotive Safety Engineering Autonomous Vehicles Road Safety Simulation and Modelling Virtual Reality and Related Simulation

At CASR, we regularly secure funding to carry out research activities on topics related to road safety.

Our main sources of funding include Australian road authorities (e.g., South Australia Department for Infrastructure and Transportation or the Victoria Department of Transport), government agencies (e.g., The Commonwealth Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications), as well as road organisations (e.g., Austroads).

We also occasionally secure funding from industry partners.

I am available to co-supervise HDR students.

I am available for train students using the non-linear finite element analysis software ANSYS LS-DYNA for advanced simulations of impact events (e.g,, crashes of structures, drop tests, ballistic tests, biomechanical testing).

  • Committee Memberships
    Date Role Committee Institution Country
    2011 - 2015 Member Roadside Safety Design (AKD20, formerly AFB20) Transport Research Board (TRB) United States

  • Memberships
    Date Role Membership Country
    2013 - 2017 Member Australian College of Road Safety (ACRS) Australia

  • Review, Assessment, Editorial and Advice
    Date Title Type Institution Country
    2017 - 2017 Australasia Road Safety Conference (ARSC) 2017 Editorial Australian College of Road Safety (ACRS) Australia
  • Position: Grant-Funded Researcher (B)
  • Phone: 83135889
  • Email: mario.mongiardini@adelaide.edu.au
  • Campus: North Terrace
  • Building: Engineering Annex
  • Org Unit: Centre for Automotive Safety Research
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External Profiles