November 1, 2021 — Dr. Imad A. Khalek, a senior program manager in Southwest Research Institute’s Powertrain Engineering Division, has been elected a Fellow of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).
SAE Fellow designations are awarded to only about 20 members a year, recognizing those who have made significant impacts to the mobility industry through “leadership, research, publishing, innovation and volunteering.”
“It is an honor to be chosen to be among such an elite and distinguished group as the SAE Fellows,” said Khalek. “I am proud to know that my career and contributions to our field have made me worthy of this privilege and distinction. I look forward to my continued work here at SwRI, advancing the mobility industry, now as an SAE Fellow.”
An expert in the field of particle emissions from internal combustion engines, Khalek has been with SwRI since 1999. His research in ultrafine and nanoparticle emissions has received international renown and attention. Khalek has performed numerous research endeavors related to diesel, gasoline and natural gas light- and heavy-duty engine and vehicle emissions. His work on dilution, partial flow, filter media and PEMS has been incorporated into CFR Part 1065. His catalytic stripper technique has even been incorporated into the EU solid particle number regulation.
As senior program manager for SwRI’s Particle Science and Technology Section, Khalek specializes in particle science, engines and after-treatment devices. He leads SwRI’s Nanoparticle Laboratory, accredited by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation as the world’s first ISO 17025 calibration laboratory. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, he redirected his expertise in automotive emissions to help evaluate respirators, surgical face masks and filtration materials to ensure they met particle filtration standards.
“Dr. Khalek has been a visionary and leader in particle science for many years,” said Daniel Stewart, vice president of SwRI’s Powertrain Engineering Division. “I am very proud that SAE has recognized his achievements by bestowing upon him the honor of becoming an SAE fellow, where he joins other innovators in the industry.”
Khalek holds a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering and mechanics, a master’s degree in mechanical engineering with a minor in physics, and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, each from the University of Minnesota. He currently holds eight patents and has more than 50 publications and presentations in the public domain.
Khalek served as the founding organizer for SAE’s “Particle Emissions from Combustion Sources” session, associate editor of the SAE Journal of Engines and chairman of the SAE Exhaust Aftertreatment and Emissions Committee. He will be honored at an SAE Fellows Reception and Dinner at the SAE’s WCX™ World Congress Experience in Detroit in 2022.
For more information, visit Particle Science or contact Jesús Chávez, +1 210 522 2258, Communications Department, Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238-5166.