Dr. Wende Zhang is currently the Technical Fellow on Sensing Systems at General Motors (GM). Wende has led GM’s Next Generation Perception Systems team, guiding a cross-functional global Engineering and R&D team focused on identifying next generation perception systems for automated driving and active safety since 2010. He was BFO of Lidar Systems (2017) and BFO of Viewing Systems (2014-16) at GM.

Wende’s research interests include Perception and Sensing for Automated Driving, Pattern Recognition, Computer Vision, Artificial Intelligence, Security, and Robotics. He established GM’s development, execution and sourcing strategy on Lidar systems and components and transferred his research innovation into multiple industry-first applications such as Rear Camera Mirror, Redundant Lane Sensing on MY17 Cadillac Super Cruise, Video Trigger Recording on MY16 Cadillac CT6 and Front Curb Camera System on MY 16 Chevrolet Corvette. Wende was the technical lead on computer vision and the embedded researcher in the GM-CMU autonomous driving team that won the DARPA Urban Challenge in 2007. He has 75+ US patents, 35+ publications in sensing and viewing systems and received the GM highest technical awards (Boss Kettering Award) 3 times in 2015, 2016, 2017. Wende has a doctoral degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and an MBA from Indiana University.

General Motors Company, commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated (until 2009) as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquar-tered in Detroit, Michigan. GM employs 202,000 people and does business in some 157 countries. General Motors produces cars and trucks in 31 countries, and sells and services these vehicles through the following divisions/brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Opel, Vauxhall, and Holden, as well as two joint ventures in China, Shanghai GM and SAIC-GM-Wuling Au-tomobile.