Zsolt Szalay, Ph.D
Dr. Szalay is Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Automotive Technologies at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME). He holds degrees in electrical engineering and economics and has been involved in automotive innovation for nearly 30 years.
Qualifications and Professional Background
Dr. Szalay received his MSc degree in electrical engineering from BME in 1995, followed by an MSc degree in economics from Corvinus University in 1997, and a PhD in mechanical engineering from BME in 2002. From 2021-23, he studied innovation management at MIT Boston for two years within the REAP global programme. He specializes in the verification and validation of advanced automotive technologies, with a focus on automated vehicle control on dynamic limits and uniquely combining the virtual and physical testing methodologies of vehicle cyber-physical systems.
Professional Experience and Entrepreneurship
Dr. Szalay started his career as a development engineer of electronically controlled braking systems, gaining in-depth experience in safety-critical systems and industrial mass production. Twenty-five years ago, he founded Inventure Automotive, which provides telematics services used in over 1 million vehicles worldwide across more than 85 countries. As head of research and innovation, he was involved from the very beginning in the concept development and creation of the ZalaZONE Automotive Proving Ground—a unique research infrastructure that globally supports innovation and experimental development. He has served as scientific leader for numerous EU-funded R&D projects on behalf of BME, is PhD topic supervisor of the Kandó Kálmán Doctoral School, member of the Hungarian Economic Association and board member of the Competitiveness Section, member of the Hungarian Academy of Engineering since 2009, and a member of the Board since 2023. From 2019 to 2023, he served as a member of the Innovation Board of the National RDI Office. He has played a key role in securing several high-value research grants.
Research Areas and Publications
Dr. Szalay’s research focuses on the digital twin based verification and validation of automotive technologies—especially the testing, validation, functional safety, and cybersecurity of automated vehicles. He has authored over 200 scientific publications, patents, and books.
Education Philosophy
As a university professor, Dr. Szalay is a committed supporter of young talents. His teaching methods focus on mentoring and problem-solving-based, practice-oriented learning.
Courses Taught
- Automated Driving Systems
- Automotive Network and Communication Systems
- Automotive Electronics
- Intelligent Vehicle-Road Systems
- Vehicle Dynamics Control Systems
Research Mission
As the founder and head of the BME Automated Drive Lab, Dr. Szalay aims to bridge the gap between university research and industrial commercialization. In this effort, BME has recently launched two university spin-off companies, offering cutting-edge automotive innovation solutions in a unique structure within the Hungarian academic landscape.
International Engagement
As an EU expert, Dr. Szalay contributes to shaping future transport regulations, advising the European Commission on connected, cooperative and automated mobility (CCAM) topics. In addition to national and European projects, he also acted as research grant reviewer for the Canada Foundation for Innovation in the field of autonomous systems. He is a frequently invited reviewer of doctoral dissertations from prestigious European universities (Uni-DUE, TU Wien, TU Graz, VSE Prague).
Contact Information
5 Most Important Publications
Szalay, Z.
Next Generation X-in-the-Loop Validation Methodology for Automated Vehicle Systems
IEEE ACCESS 9 pp. 35616-35632. , 17 p. (2021)
Ciuffo, Biagio ; Mattas, Konstantinos ; Makridis, Michail ; Albano, Giovanni ; Anesiadou, Aikaterini ; He, Yinglong ; Josvai, Szilárd ; Komnos, Dimitris ; Pataki, Marton ; Vass, Sandor et al.
Requiem on the positive effects of commercial adaptive cruise control on motorway traffic and recommendations for future automated driving systems
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH PART C-EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES 130 Paper: 103305 , 31 p. (2021)
Torok, Arpad ; Szalay, Zsolt ; Saghi, Balazs
New Aspects of Integrity Levels in Automotive Industry-Cybersecurity of Automated Vehicles
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS 23 : 1 pp. 383-391. , 9 p. (2022)
Pethő, Zsombor ; Szalay, Zsolt ; Török, Árpád
Safety risk focused analysis of V2V communication especially considering cyberattack sensitive network performance and vehicle dynamics factors
VEHICULAR COMMUNICATIONS 37 Paper: 100514 , 13 p. (2022)
Szalay, Z.
Critical Scenario Identification Concept: the Role of the Scenario-in-the-Loop Approach in Future Automotive Testing
IEEE ACCESS 11 pp. 82464-82476. , 13 p. (2023)
