Professor Brian Surgenor is a faculty member at Queen's University's Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, part of the Smith Engineering faculty. He holds a B.Sc. (1977), M.Eng. (AECL/Whiteshell), and Ph.D. (1983) in Mechanical Engineering from Queen's University. His research focuses on machine vision systems for automation, autonomous vehicle navigation, and mechatronic system design education. He has held key administrative roles including Department Head (1993-2002), Associate Dean (2008-2013), and Vice-Dean (2013-2016). His work emphasizes interdisciplinary innovation, such as the Mitchell Hall design project and contributions to Ingenuity Labs. Education: B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering, Queen's University (1977) M.Eng. Engineering Physics, McMaster University (AECL/Whiteshell) Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering, Queen's University (1983) Research interests include: - Pneumatic servosystems - Intelligent algorithms for machine vision - Off-road autonomous vehicle systems - Mechatronics education methodologies - Hybrid powertrain systems for vehicles His recent publications (2017–2024) explore autonomous systems, machine vision applications, and fuel cell hybrid technologies. Notable trends include advancements in UAV-based infrastructure inspection, terrain-adaptive autonomous driving, and low-cost machine vision solutions for small part sorting. His work bridges theoretical control systems with practical industrial automation challenges. He has contributed to laboratory design for CDIO curricula and pioneered mechatronics education through problem-based learning. His administrative leadership has shaped Queen's engineering graduate programs and research infrastructure. Currently involved in Ingenuity Labs, fostering cross-disciplinary innovation.
