Safer Racer Board of Directors ~ Dr. John Melvin
Dr. Melvin’s major research interest is the biomechanics of impact injury and its application to the protection of vehicle occupants in crashes. He received his B.S.(1960), M.S.(1962) and Ph.D.(1964) degrees in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from the University of Illinois. As a Research Engineer and Associate Professor at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, from 1968 to 1985, he was involved in the planning and implementation of research projects dealing with the mechanical properties of biological tissues; injury mechanisms of the organs and structures in the head, neck, chest, abdomen, and lower extremities; development of test dummy components; and the development and evaluation of advanced restraint systems for children and adults. From 1985 to 1998 he was a Senior Staff Research Engineer at the General Motors Research Laboratories where he conducted research on head and neck injury, and, most recently, racing car crashes for the purpose of improving both racing car and advanced passenger car crash protection. He retired from General Motors in September 1998 and is currently an independent consultant on the biomechanics of crash injury, racecar driver crash protection, and an Adjunct Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Wayne State University. He has consulted with NASCAR, IRL and FIA on racecar driver safety and crash protection.