Duc Truong Pham BE Ph.D. Deng holds the Chance Chair of Engineering at the University of Birmingham where he started his career as a lecturer in robotics and control engineering following undergraduate and postgraduate studies at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand.  Prior to returning to Birmingham in 2011, he was Professor of Computer-Controlled Manufacture and Director of the Manufacturing Engineering Centre at Cardiff University.  His research is in the areas of intelligent systems, robotics, and autonomous systems, and advanced manufacturing technology.  He has published over 600 technical papers and books and has graduated more than 100 Ph.D. students.  He is a recipient of several awards including five prizes from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Automation Congress, and a Distinguished International Academic Contribution Award from the IEEE.  He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Learned Society of Wales, the Society for Manufacturing Engineers, the Institution of Engineering and Technology, and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.