Rate My Professor Siddartha Khastgir

Professor Siddartha Khastgir is the Head of Safe Autonomy at WMG, University of Warwick, leading a research portfolio exceeding £17 million across more than 20 projects involving over 100 international partners in automotive, aviation, and maritime sectors. He holds a PhD in Engineering from the University of Warwick, awarded in 2019 for his thesis on calibrating trust in automated driving systems through informed safety knowledge derived from hazard-based testing. He also earned a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. His career at Warwick progressed from PhD student to Principal Engineer and now Professor, complemented by prior industry roles at Tata Motors in India and FEV GmbH in Germany, where he led multicultural teams on large-scale commercial projects. Khastgir is a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow, Chartered Engineer (CEng MIMechE), and recipient of numerous honors including Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe 2018 in Industry, TechWorks Young Engineer Under 30 of the Year 2017, ITS UK Young Professional of the Year 2017, IIT Kharagpur Young Alumni Achiever Award 2018, and STEM for Britain Top 30 Young Researcher 2017.

His research centers on safety assurance for automated transport systems, with expertise in verification and validation of connected and autonomous vehicles, test scenario generation, hazard analysis, and safe AI methodologies. He has contributed to foundational ISO standards for self-driving vehicle safety, represented the UK in ISO TC 204/WG14, ISO TC22/SC33/WG9, and UNECE bodies, and advised the UK Department for Transport and parliamentary inquiries on automated vehicles. Key publications include 'A systems approach to creating test scenarios for automated driving systems' (Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies, 2021, cited over 150 times), 'Towards increased reliability by objectification of Hazard Analysis and Risk Assessment (HARA) of automated automotive systems' (Safety Science, 2017, cited 87 times), and leadership in projects influencing the UK's Automated Vehicles Bill. Khastgir delivers bespoke professional training, TEDx talks, and promotes engineering evangelism through IMechE roles such as former Chairman of the International Young Member Committee.